Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

Thanks again for all the reviews and support still on this story.

Thanks to fig-aruna for being a doll and betaing!


Overcast

Chapter 2

Interruptions of Life

January 2024

"Hey, hey, hey..." whispered Alex softly as she tried to comfort Piper.

She wrapped her arms as best as she could around Piper's bump, bringing her head to rest on her shoulder.

Alex had just arrived at the hospital. Issy was getting a MRI done at the moment. Piper had explained as best as she could through her sobs what Issy's doctor had said. After asking about her symptoms and doing a physical exam on her, he had ordered an ultrasound to be done on the left side of her abdomen.

They had also taken a blood and urine test.

"The ultrasound showed that she had a mass growing on her kidney. They said it could be a tumour," Piper explained slowly as she tried to compose herself. The last few hours had been a lot to process. After the doctor had said he wanted to do a few tests on Issy, she had known the worse had happened. The doctor hadn't come right out and said what the mass was, but Piper knew the truth.

Her whole word seemed to be spiralling out of her control again.

"So they don't know if it's for sure cancer or not?" asked Alex, who was trying to piece together what Piper had just told her.

"No," murmured Piper as she shook her head from side-to-side and took a step away from Alex. She ran her fingers underneath her eyes, brushing away the tears which rested there. "Not yet...they are doing a MRI to get a better look at the mass for now."

"So it could be nothing then," stated Alex.

Piper just gave her a look at this. "How can it not be fucking nothing!? There is a fucking mass growing on my baby's kidney! That is not fucking nothing!" Her voice cracked as another wave of emotions came over her.

"I'm sorry," whispered Alex as she once again took Piper into her arms. She pressed a soft kiss to the side of her neck as she began to rock her slightly back and forth. She knew what she said was wrong. A mass on Issy's kidney wasn't nothing. But she was trying to remain on the positive side of things. They didn't know for sure what the exact details were. It might not be a tumour, it could just be some sort of mass, maybe harmless, she thought. She knew she was pulling at straws, but she really didn't want to think about Issy having cancer.

She was only six.

She was way too young to have cancer.

xxx

Issy was a little groggy from the medication they had given her before the MRI scan to keep her calm. Her eyes were half-closed as she lay on the hospital bed. She couldn't really understand what was going on. Mommy had said they would be quick, but they had been at the hospital forever! And she didn't feel any better...she wanted to go home, thought the six-year-old to herself.

They were in a brightly colourful room with animals painted on the walls, waiting for the doctor to come talk to them. Piper was holding Issy's hand with one while the other gently stroked her hair. Her heart was beating a mile a minute as she listened to the soft ticking of the clock on the wall.

She hated all this waiting.

Alex was standing beside Piper. She was not only worried about Issy, but about Piper as well. All this stress was not good for the baby, she thought. The pregnancy hadn't been considered high-risk or anything, but she still worried that all this stress would somehow affect the baby, not to mention Piper herself. She continued to study Piper as she slid her hand down her wife's arm and rested it on top of Piper's and Issy's intertwined fingers.

Whatever happened she thought, they would get through this together, for they were a family.

Just as Alex was leaning forward to press a kiss to the side of Piper's neck, the door opened, and the doctor came in.

All three of them glanced towards the newcomer.


May 2022

Piper giggled as she felt Alex's hands suddenly slip underneath the front of her shirt. Alex's breath was hot against the back of her neck as her hands continued to roam up her ribcage to her breasts.

"Issy's going to be home soon," warned Piper as Alex began to kiss the side of her neck.

"So," whispered Alex in between kisses. "I can be quick!"

Piper was silent for a moment as she allowed for Alex's touch to take over her body. She could feel the heat of her sex begin to throb against the tightness of her jeans in response to Alex's hard pull on her nipple. They had already spent most of the day in bed and had only gotten out just now for Larry would be dropping off Issy soon.

"Alexxxmmmhh," she whimpered as Alex suddenly bit the side of her neck and whose her other hand cupped her through her jeans.

"I can be quick," whispered Alex huskily into Piper's ear. "Don't you remember how fast I could make you cum in Litchfield..."

Piper was surprised slightly that Alex was bringing up Litchfield. They didn't really talk about it anymore. Before she could question it any further though, Alex had spun her around and had her pressed up against the kitchen counter.

Alex crashed her mouth hard against Piper's as her hands flew to the fly of her jeans and immediately began to pull it down.

Piper's mouth immediately responded to Alex's, lips parting widely open and her tongue slipping easily into the brunette's mouth. Her hands clenched the back of Alex's head, pulling roughly at her hair.

Piper moaned and whimpered as Alex slid her hand down her pants and roughly rubbed her pussy through her panties.

For a short period it was like they were in their twenties again, kissing and fucking like they didn't have a care in the world. It was just them in the moment, being human.

However, their moment of bliss didn't last very long as a knock rang at the front door.

"Shit! That's Larry!" whispered Piper as she tore her lips away from Alex and glanced over to the hallway.

Alex placed one last open-mouthed kiss to the side of Piper's neck before pulling her hand out of her pants and taking a step back. She smirked slightly as Piper did up her fly and readjusted herself.

After all the years they had known each other and been apart for, she couldn't help but gloat a little that she still had it in her to make Piper flustered like she was now.


January 2024

The room was completely silent as the words hung heavily in the air.

The doctor had just finished explaining and showing the result of Issy's scans from the MRI. There was indeed a large tumour like mass on her left kidney. They thought it was Nephroblastoma or also known as Wilms tumour, which apparently a rare form of cancer that was most often found in the kidneys of children. He had said that due to the size of it and where it was placed, that it was mostly likely that, but they wouldn't be hundred percent sure until they took a sample of the tumour and looked at it underneath a microscope.

Issy looked from the doctor who was a new doctor and not her usual one then back down to her stomach. Her hands touched it through the scratchy paper hospital gown she had been forced to put on. Her face wrinkled in confusion as she tried to feel this tumour thing she had apparently growing inside of her. She frowned slightly as she felt nothing. She wondered if this doctor had gotten it wrong.

Her stomach was flat...she felt nothing.

Not like when she touched Mommy's stomach which had a baby growing inside of it. Her brown eyes shifted towards Piper's. Her stomach was very round...you could definitely tell that there was something inside of it, thought Issy as she continued to compare her stomach to her mother's.

This doctor must have gotten some other kid's scans, she thought, there was no tumour or whatever he had said it was nephroblahblahblah...inside of her. There was just the normal guts and stuff inside of her. She would have felt this tumour thing growing if there was one...which she was pretty certain there wasn't.

"With Wilms tumour, usually surgery is done to remove the tumour completely from the kidney before doing chemotherapy. However, in Issy's case, the tumour is quite large and has spread to the abdomen," explained the doctor calmly as he pointed at the scans, circling were the cancer was located.

Piper squeezed Alex's hand hard at hearing this.

Her eyes looked hard at the scans and tried to make sense of what she was being shown, but it all came up fuzzy. It just looked like a series of white bubbles to her.

A buzzing sound suddenly seemed to fill her ears as she continued to stare hard at the scans and began to tune the doctor out. Her vision blurred slightly around the edges as her eyes pierced into the black and white images in front of her. She was trying to make sense of it all, like if the longer she stared at the scans, the more she would understand what was happening and what the hell the doctor was saying.

However, the longer she stared, the more confused she got. It was giving her a headache, all this looking at these monochromatic scans which were just like a series of shapes to her. It reminded her of the first time she had gotten an ultrasound down when she was just a few weeks pregnant with Issy, back when she had been just some unknown little blimp in her stomach.

She could feel Alex squeezing her hand and asking the doctor something, but her voice sounded miles away.

"So surgery isn't an option, then?" asked Alex.

Her mind was racing as she tried to process all the doctor was telling them. Issy had cancer, but they couldn't be for sure until they took a sample of the tumour, which would require surgery. But Issy couldn't have surgery because it was too big and had spread...

As much as she was trying to, she didn't understand how they could say it was something but not be sure until they did this other thing...but they couldn't do this other thing? So how in hell would they determine what it was? Alex's brain was in overdrive. Her green eyes were piercing into the doctor, waiting for him to fucking explain what they were going to do next to treat the tumour currently growing on her stepdaughter's kidney.

"It is still an option, but not right away. First, we will do a biopsy to get a sample of the tumour, then start Issy right away on chemotherapy. The tumour is too large to remove at the moment. And with doing chemo first, we will hopefully be able shrink the tumour to a manageable size, so that it can be completely removed safely," the doctor's voice again was calm as he explained all this.

Alex just stared at the doctor as a blanket of silence fell over them. She had no more questions to ask. Her eyes drifted over to Piper who had been very silent the whole time the doctor had been talking. She could sense by the look on her wife's face that she had zoned out. Piper, she knew, had a tendency to drift mentally when in extreme emotional distress. She had seen her cut her self off from everyone at Litchfield, and now she was doing it again, here and now. It wasn't in the same way as it had been at Litchfield, but Alex still didn't like to see her do it. It scared her...it made her think about how she had almost lost Piper all those years ago.

"Pipes," she whispered as she inched her face close to her. "Pipes!"

Alex's voice went in and out of Piper's ear as though she was submerged underwater. Her blue eyes drifted around the room before landing on Issy, who was staring straight back at her.

"Mommy, can we go home now?" asked Issy as she locked eyes with Piper. She was tired and wanted to go home and watch Tangled like Piper had promised she could. She didn't want to have to wear this gown anymore. She wanted to put her own clothes back on and head home.

Piper opened and closed her mouth, but no words came out. Her brain seemed to have lost all control over her body and motor skills at the moment, like she was in shock or something.

"Soon, baby, soon," whispered Alex as she addressed her stepdaughter's question. She could sense that the kid was tired and didn't really understand what was going on at the moment.

Alex's attention then once again drifted towards her wife, who had finally met her eye. Piper's blue eyes were round and doe-like – not so different from the way Issy's looked now. She wish she could take them both away at this second from this room, the walls of which felt like they were slowly caving in on them.

However, she knew they were far from being done. She squeezed Piper's hand again, reassuring her that she was here before glancing back at the doctor.

The doctor had warm hazel eyes and a nice smile, thought Alex to herself, as she studied his face for a second. He kind of reminded her of that young CO at Litchfield...Bennett, she thought his name had been.

Alex opened her mouth to ask if Issy could go home, but before she could the doctor was speaking, again.

"Unfortunately, with the extent of the cancer, I would like to perform the biopsy right away, so we can determine if the cells are favourable or unfavourable," explained the doctor as if reading the question on Alex's mind. "With Wilms tumour, it gets broken down into to categories, Favourable Histology and Unfavourable Histology. 90% of cells from Wilms tumour lack anaplasia, which means they are most likely favourable. If Issy's contain favourable histology, this will make treating the cancer easier for us. If they come back unfavourable, it is still treatable. It will just change how we approach treating the cancer."

"So, what kind do you think Issy's as?" asked Alex, once again taking the reins of the conversation, not to mention trying to make sense of all that was happening.

"We won't know that until we look at a sample of the tumour through a microscope," explained the doctor.

Alex swallowed over the lump in her throat at this, her eyes once again drifting onto Issy. She didn't really know what a biopsy involved, but whatever it was sounded serious.

God, she hated hospitals, she thought as the smell of bleach suddenly filled her nostrils. She had always hated them – ever since she was a kid, but especially now. There was just something about hospitals that reminded her of Litchfield. She didn't know if it was the smell or the white walls or how doctors made her feel stupid...just like the COs had. She just couldn't stop comparing them.

Especially now that this doctor was reminding her of Bennett.

She closed her eyes briefly and let out a deep breath. She needed to remain calm and cool she thought. This wasn't the time to run or anything like that. Her family needed her at the moment.

Alex opened her eyes and once again squeezed Piper's hand, letting her know she was here beside her before locking eyes with the doctor.

"So how does this biopsy thing work?" she asked, all business once again.

xxx

The baby kicked Piper sharply in the ribs, but she took no notice of it really as she focused all her attention onto Issy, who was sleeping.

After what was the longest day, they were finally back home. Issy was fast asleep in her own bed now as Piper continued to gaze down at her. The blonde knew she should be resting herself, but she couldn't go to sleep, not now. Her mind was racing with thoughts.

She couldn't believe that her baby had cancer...her little Issywissy had cancer...she had fucking cancer...she couldn't fucking believe it...she just fucking couldn't...

The doctor had said that due to the large size of the tumour and how the cancer had spread to a part of Issy's abdomen, that it was most likely stage three cancer. Piper didn't know what all the different stages meant, but the higher the number, the worse it was, that much she did know. She was trying not to think of the worst, but her mind kept on flashing to the images from the scans. The mass had been a lot bigger than the size of Issy's actual kidney...

Piper's mind seemed to be lost in some sort of fog.

She still didn't know how to process anything. Every time someone tried to talk to her, she had to weigh each word in her mind and think about what they were saying before replying.

Everything seemed to be a struggle.

Nothing seemed to be the same anymore. Her house felt different than it had when she left it this morning. Her whole world had been flipped upside down. And it wasn't just her world either, but Issy's this time.

Issy had cancer.

She'd tried to say the words out loud, but couldn't in the end. Hearing the word come out of her mouth would make it more of a reality that she wasn't ready to face...not yet...not ever really.

She hated how she hadn't prevented this from happening. The doctor had explained that there was nothing she could have done, but as a mother, it was her job to protect her child, she thought, and she had failed Issy big time. Issy shouldn't have to face going in for chemo in the next few days. She shouldn't have to face losing her hair and being sick. She should be playing outside and building snowmen like other kids her age were.

She shouldn't have to be faced with this sudden burden to fight for her life.

She was only a little girl, thought Piper to herself... Tears stung her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. She needed to remain strong she thought. Issy deserved that much from her. She couldn't lose control of her emotions...not like she had done in the past. This wasn't about her. It was about that little girl who was currently fast asleep.

Her daughter deserved that much from her. To not be stupidly selfish for once and handle her emotions. But she knew it would be a struggle. She was already losing control of herself, and it was really only the beginning of things to come.

Piper heard Alex approach from behind, but she made no move to look at her. Her attention was focused on the steady rise and fall of her daughter's chest.

"Hey," whispered Alex as she wrapped her arms around Piper's stomach and rested her chin on her shoulder.

Piper found her eyes closing as she felt the heat of Alex's body press up against her back, and her body immediately begin to relax as it leaned into Alex's hold for support.

She kind of kept on forgetting that she didn't have to go through all this alone. She had Alex to help her and be there for her. She had been a single parent for so long, she wasn't used yet to sharing the burden when something bad happened. She was just so used to keeping everything to herself and handling things on her own.

Alex pressed another kiss to the side of Piper's neck as her hands began to trace smooth circles along her bump. She knew that Piper was scared, and she had to admit, she was too. Issy was too fucking young for all of this. She was just an innocent little kid. She didn't deserve to be sick like this...

The baby kicked again, this time against the palm of Alex's hand. She couldn't help but smile slightly at this. She would never get used to feeling the baby move in Piper's belly.

It amazed her that she had something to do with that little person growing inside of Piper.

"Come to bed," whispered Alex after a moment had passed. "You need to sleep too."

Piper was silent as she continued to lean into Alex, breathing in the comforting scent of her before nodding her head slowly. She was tired and should at least to try to get some sleep, even if it was for a couple of hours.

Tomorrow would be a long day too.

xxx

Alex rolled onto her back and sighed out of frustration.

She had lain there for what seemed like forever, looking up at the ceiling and listening to the heavy breathing of Piper beside her. It was late at night now, and she should really have been sleeping, but it seemed that her mind wouldn't let her.

She was wide awake.

Fear raced through her veins as she tried to make sense of what the doctor had said. Her heart pounded as the worst possible scenarios automatically played out in her mind. When she heard the word cancer, she couldn't help but think of death. It was just a natural progression of thought for her. Her grandmother had died of lung cancer when she was ten. It was why her mother had told her to never fucking smoke – It would kill her.

But of course she had, and a few others things...

Tears immediately filled her eyes as a sense of sadness washed over her. She arched her back and squeezed her eyes closed, trying to prevent the tears from falling.

She couldn't lose it.

Issy was still here, and Alex couldn't think the worst. She needed to remain positive. She needed to have hope. Issy was a fighter, like her mother. Issy was going to beat this thing, she thought.

She just fucking hated how she had no control over this thing. It was Piper in Litchfield all over again.

Alex hated not being in control. She hated feeling hopeless and depressed that there was nothing she could do.

If Alex could somehow go back in time and be the one to get cancer, so that Issy didn't...she would. In a heart beat. Because then she would somewhat be in control of the situation. She would be the one fighting off the cancer, not Issy. Issy could still be a kid that way.

Alex slowly got out of bed, being careful not to awaken Piper as she crept out of the bedroom and headed downstairs to the kitchen. She didn't think it would help Issy much, but it would make her feel somewhat in control if she knew every detail about Issy's condition.

And ultimately find her the best care.

Alex was going to research and read everything she could about Wilms Tumour and cancer in general. She knew that Piper had done her own brief search on it before going to bed, but Alex needed to do her own.

She opened up the laptop which Piper had left sitting out on the kitchen table and booted it up. She brought her knees up to her chest as she took a seat at the table and studied the screen of the computer. She yawned slightly before closing her eyes and running her hands through her hair.

It was going to be a long night, she thought as she opened up the internet and typed Wilms Tumour into the search engine. It was times like these that Alex wished her mom were still alive. She had always known just what to say in hard times. She had always been there for Alex as a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on.

She had been thinking about her mom a lot lately, especially since the pregnancy. Her mom, she liked to think, would be happy that she was having a child. Her mom hadn't been around much growing up, since she had worked four jobs, but she had been the best mom that Alex could ask for.

And now with Issy's current diagnosis of cancer, she wished her mom was here more than ever, just to give her some wisdom on how to handle it. They had yet to tell anyone about what had happened today. Except for Larry, of course. Alex had been the one to make that phone call. Piper had been too focused on Issy. She said she would call him tomorrow once the results were in, but Alex thought that Larry deserved a heads up.

It had been a little awkward at first when Alex had started dating Piper again.

It was still fucking awkward on most occasions, just considering the history of them all, but they tried not to think about it too much now. Especially for Issy's sake.

They all loved that little girl.


May 2022

Alex stood in the kitchen as Piper went to open the door.

She wasn't exactly hiding while Larry dropped Issy back off at home, but she didn't exactly want to be seen either.

She and Piper hadn't exactly told everyone that they were seeing each other. They didn't want to make a big deal about it like they knew people would. Nicky and Lorna, of course, knew since the two of them had practically stolen the thunder from their big day, but the couple hadn't seemed to mind.

They were happy for them.

And Red, of course, knew because...well, Red knew everything.

Issy knew too, but that was about it.

Piper had yet to tell her family and friends she was back with Alex. She had told Polly, but Piper told her everything, so that didn't really count. And she didn't really have any plans to tell anyone else.

It had only been a few weeks, and she didn't want to jinx anything, not yet that was.

They had been down this path so many times before...this reconnecting after years apart and thinking that this time would be the time that it worked, the time that it would finally stick. Every time, though, one or both of them screwed it up, or something else happened to tear them apart.

They didn't want that to happen this time though.

This time they were determined to make it work.

Alex listened as Piper spoke to Larry for a few minutes before shutting the door and saying goodbye. She then heard little footsteps come skipping down the hallway.

She counted to ten in her head before she heard a little voice.

"ALEX!"


Thanks for reading!

Julie