Almost four months into her treatment, Katie admonished she couldn't stay alone anymore. She'd been in and out of the hospital, falling down the steps from lack of balance. She rarely, if ever, remembered what happened. If there was one thing she hated, then let it be admitting she was weak. Katie was never weak. Ever. She closed her eyes and climbed into the bench-seat under the large bay window in her bed room. She peered out at the sunshine and smiled at all the trees that were growing, new to life. She hadn't recognized them before.

There was a photograph in her lap, some chai tea in her hands, steaming in the morning sunshine. She stared carelessly at the photograph. The boy next to her wasn't even smiling. She was. She was wearing her blue cap and orange tassel, holding up her diploma proudly so the whole world could see it. James stood next to her, staring at the photographer – in this case, Kendall – with dark eyes. She'd never noticed his expression over the years, but he hadn't smiled. At the time, she would take what she could get…but now, she felt like that chance was lost.

Kendall was right. She'd spent her entire life admiring someone who didn't care about her. Not like she cared about him. No, it was one of those dark and depressing romance stories where she'd die before he could tell her. The treatments had significantly ruined her immune system, so she had to stop them. Now she was sick with a cold, terrified that it would be the last one she ever got. As much as she hated being sick, she'd rather be sick than not exist anymore. Flipping the picture over, she sighed and moved to her bed.

Under the bed was a shoebox with all of her different medicines. Ones she'd only taken once, or ones she'd never bothered with at all. She pulled one of the pill bottles out and read the title on the front, then opened the bottle and poured the pills into her hand. There were six. Six antidepressants she hadn't taken since she turned sixteen and her best friend abandon her. She took one, and then pondered what would happen if she took all of them.

Kendall sat on the edge of the stage, staring out at the empty crowd. It was their farewell tour, until they went back when Katie was better again. Kendall had announced tonight that he couldn't perform while his little sister was dying. Although the band had received well wishes, and letters of testimonials of battles with cancer, Kendall wasn't feeling much better about what was happening.

"She's too young," Carlos murmured sitting to Kendall's left. "I've only ever heard of it being fatal to adults over 30-ish."

"She said she's on some new medicine that will help…" Kendall commented, looking to Carlos. He didn't understand why he was sitting there. Then it hit him. His dad remarried. "Your mom…how long did it take?"

"I was seven. It wasn't really long after my seventh birthday, but she vowed to hold on that long. She just got weaker and weaker, she was almost as bald as my dad by the time…the last time we saw her." Carlos found it easier to speak now; he'd had time to come to terms with it. It killed him sometimes seeing Katie in the same position, but it didn't matter much. "I remember just before she died, I told her I was going to take up skating. It was something I was good at. She told me to be careful, because she was concerned that it could be dangerous to me…that's why I wear the helmet. Because she gave it to me."

"I never knew," Kendall spoke, his voice cracking ever so slightly. "I know Jo is really worried about Katie. She asks me every night how she's doing, but Katie isn't talking to anyone. Not even James. I haven't heard anything from any of them." He folded his arms and shivered slightly. "Three months of no contact…it kills me."

"Not as much as the Cancer—" Carlos never finished his thought. For the first time in forever, he'd noticed his mistake and fixed it. "Kendall, didn't your dad die of cancer when you were little?"

"I was only five. I don't remember much of anything." He looked away. "Mom told me once that it was hereditary, that there was a good chance Katie would also get it, as well as myself. Evidently it was Katie who won the genetic lottery. They want to try treating it with Chemo and medicine first…and if that doesn't work, Katie said there is no other option. She'd rather spend her whole life just…vegetating."

"She's giving up." Carlos whispered, shock crossing his normally smiling features. "She can't give up. Katie never gives up."

"It's a losing battle, Carlos. She said she's confident she's lived her life. She's done everything she wanted to do. Hell, she got her empire started and she's only in her twenties! Don't you see? She's growing up faster than we ever did." Kendall flipped his hair and looked to the empty audience again. "She's never going to be the same, even if she does survive through this."

"Yeah. I thought about that. But you know what? Even if she's not the same, she's still Katie, and she's still your sister." Carlos stood and held out his hand to Kendall. "Let's go visit your sister."

Kendall nodded and smirked. "We can't just stop by unannounced."

"We won't. James is on his way over there now. She called him to come over. We'll just go there…looking for James." Carlos was never so devious before, it was almost startling to hear him speak those words.

Kendall smiled. "You're pretty cool, you know that?"

Carlos merely smiled.

James didn't knock on the door; he didn't even wait for her to unlock it. He went inside using the spare key she had taped to the underside of the gap in the door and started to look around. She didn't answer when he called, he wondered if she'd fallen asleep again. "Katie?" When he rounded the corner, his eyes got wide. "Katie!" Kneeling on the floor of the bedroom, he brought the now-underweight girl into his arms. "Oh God, no. Please, no."

She didn't move, twitch, nothing. The photograph she had stared at earlier was shattered on the floor, the pill bottles all over the room, and contents also on the floor. What little was left of them. Her normally honey brown eyes were closed, hiding her pain. James whispered a prayer never being religious before and brought her closer to his body. He'd call for help. That would take too long. Could he drive her? Not in this condition. His brain was fried. What could he do?

He would walk. The hospital was only twenty minutes in a car, which made it an hour by foot, right? He didn't care. Closing his eyes, he began to walk, ignoring the weird looks he got from the people around him. Would she make it to the hospital? Would she die in his arms? What if he never got to say goodbye?

Logan paced outside the room. He had been at the hospital taking his residency exams when he'd seen James coming through with Katie. He dialed and redialed Kendall's number, but he wasn't answering. Jo couldn't even find him, which was disturbing. The fifth time he tried, he finally got an answer. "Kendall?"

"Logan? Hey! I didn't know you were still in town. We're on our way to see Katie, want to meet up with us?" Kendall asked excitedly.

Logan let out a sigh, his words tired. "Actually, that's why I called. Maybe it's probably better if you meet up with me."

"What do you mean? Where are you calling from?" Kendall's words began to get high pitched, worry streaking his voice. "Logan, didn't you leave early for your tests at the hospital? Tell me you want to meet because you passed."

"James just brought her in. Kendall, it looks like she overdosed." Logan had to sit when he spoke the words, the shaking wouldn't subside. "I don't know if she'll make it. They threw James out; he's been moping in the corner for an hour. Kendall…it's looking grim."

"I'll…be there as soon as possible."

"I would hurry up. I think we might have to say our final goodbye's tonight." Logan whispered, finally breaking down and crying. "You know why I became a doctor, right?"

"Because you're good at it?" Kendall inquired, letting Carlos drive. The other boy didn't show any emotion, likely remembering his past with his mother.

"No." Logan whispered through tears. "Because I couldn't stand seeing you in pain over your sister's condition. That's what put me in gear about finishing my tests. I can't save her…but I can help her."

"Please do what you can. Don't let her die until I get there. I'm calling my mom now." When he hung up, he threw the phone to the floor and began to cry, bringing his knees up to his chest.

Carlos picked up the phone when they hit the stoplight. He paged through the contacts until he found the one he needed, dialing the number and setting up the headset so he didn't need the cell. The tired woman picked up, joy lacing her voice. "Carlos! It's good to hear from you again."

No one had told her about Katie. She'd asked them not to. Her mother didn't know anything about her condition. "Mama Knight…we haven't been totally honest with you for the last few months."

(AN: According to Wikipedia, her name is Jennifer…anyone else know when this was mentioned in the show?)

"We?" Jennifer began to wonder. "We as in…all of you?"

"Katie asked us not to talk to you about any of this. But I think you should know." Carlos continued.

She could distinctively hear her son crying somewhere in the background, the only time she'd heard those choked sobs was when Jo left for New Zealand. "Oh God, is it Jo?"

"No. It's Katie. She's not doing so well." He took a deep breath and slowed his speech. "We found out in late November that Katie had gotten Cancer. It's genetic, so it presumably came from your late husband."

"I hate him! I always hated him!" Kendall shouted from the seat next to Carlos.

Carlos continued, ignoring Kendall. "She's been taking chemotherapy and medicine, but it's not helping. In fact, they had to stop the chemo because she got gravely sick. She's lost almost fifty pounds, and most of her hair, along with the smile she always wore. She spent less time with us and more time alone. Mama Knight, Logan is doing residency at the hospital, he called us. James brought her in tonight. They think she overdosed. She isn't responding."

Kendall began to cry again.

Jennifer took a deep breath. "There's one other solution…the Chemo wouldn't work. It didn't work for her father, either. It's too aggressive. Has it spread, did she tell you?"

"She said it was still localized to her abdominal region." He looked to Kendall a moment, then back to the road. Why was it so far to get to the hospital she was at? "What are you thinking?"

"If it's still localized, they can perform a surgery. Remove the cancerous organ and replace it…but that's just an idea. They wanted to do it for Kenneth, but he didn't want to. He said the procedure was much too risky to perform."

"Mama Knight…I don't think they can remove and replace the organ affected by this." Carlos continued. "At least, certainly not replace."

"…what kind is it?" She inquired.

"Cervical." Carlos commented, biting his lip when Jennifer started to cry.

"The only other choice is a full hysterectomy. She won't want that because it means she can't have children. Katie's always wanted children." Jennifer spoke softly. "Can I talk to Kendall…just for a moment? I know he won't want to talk to me…"

Carlos pulled over and placed the headset on Kendall's head, ignoring his broken protests. "I don't want to talk to you, mom."

"It wasn't your dad's fault." She whispered absently. "Katie was born with it, that's true, but it wasn't your father that gave it to her."

"Then who was it?" Kendall whispered. "Who could have possibly made her sick?"

"Generally speaking, Kendall, cervical cancer is onset by a sexual partner." Mama Knight explained. "Has she slept with anyone?"

Carlos locked the doors outside the hospital, glaring over at Kendall when the murderous look crossed his eyes. "You will not kill James! They haven't done anything, James even said it! When did a friend's word not stand up for anything?" the other boy shouted. "Kendall Donald Knight! You look at me and swear you won't attack him!"

"Fine." He hung up on his mother when she mentioned she was going to catch the next bus to the hospital. "I won't attack him. I'll freaking murder him!" Kendall fumbled with the lock until it popped up and he threw open the door. "I swear to God!"

Katie hadn't told anyone what type of cancer it was…only Carlos knew, because she confided in him about his mother. But Carlos also knew that it wasn't James' fault. "Listen to me, you can't kill James! He's your best friend!"

"Not anymore." Kendall stalked through the doors and stopped when he saw Logan, still sitting where he was when he called, but no sign of James. "Where is James?"

"In the room with Katie. She still isn't awake. Did you know it was cervical cancer?" Logan inquired?

"No, Carlos just told me. I'm going to kill James."

"Kendall…James isn't the one who did it. While it's true they did sleep together, only once, it isn't his fault. He tested negative for the HPV virus. It was someone else." Logan couldn't show him James' record, but he hoped that his friend would listen.

"Who? Who else would Katie sleep with? And I'm still going to kill him for taking advantage of her!" Carlos ran over and grabbed Kendall's arms, holding them behind his back forcefully. "Let go of me, Carlos!"

"Not until you swear you won't be killing anyone. You need to listen to Logan. Completely." Carlos demanded.

"What!"

"There's a file here from her junior year of high school. I can't tell you much else, other than the fact that she was here to be tested for rape. Kendall…it wasn't James. James doesn't have the virus. It was someone from her school." Logan finished, closing his eyes and leaning back in the chair. "She didn't even tell James."

Carlos looked guilty. "She told me. She told me two years ago, when she found out she was sick. She confided in me that she was raped in high school, she never told me who…but she told me." He let go of Kendall, fully expecting him to punch him in the face. When Kendall didn't, he continued. "I knew the whole time."

"She trusted you because of your mom. Because you lost your mother the same way." Kendall fell into a chair. "Carlos…don't you ever keep a secret like that from me again. And how did everyone else know Katie and James had sex but me!"

"She didn't want you to know. For this reason. And I only knew because she told Camille!" Logan shouted.

"My God, even Camille knew before me?" Kendall closed his eyes and turned away. "You know what? I don't care. I don't have time to hate either of them."

"The problem with the type of cancer she has, Kendall, is that generally the symptoms don't show until it's too late to be cured." Logan commented, folding his arms. "I'm pretty sure they can still help her, but…I don't really know. I haven't studied it as aggressively as I should have."

"Don't say aggressive." Kendall commented, taking a deep breath. "She's just a kid. She wants to have a family one day."

"If she makes it…" Carlos stopped himself. "She can always adopt…and there's surrogacy."

"There is no if. She will." Kendall angrily whispered. "She has to."

"Listen to me, Kendall. Her symptoms suggest that this has been going on for as long as it's been since she was raped. She was only sixteen when she was in her junior year, correct? That means she's had this for five years…and only two of them she's had symptoms. It can take years for it to start to show." Logan tried to remember what his instructor had taught him about cancers, specifically for this type.

Then Carlos pitched in. "It is one of the leading causes of death of women in the country," he saw Kendall's look and froze for a moment. "However, most of the time it can be cured through a hysterectomy. My mom wouldn't have one. She wanted to have children again…but radiation and chemotherapy usually make it difficult to have kids afterwards. It all depends on if they can stop the cell growth in time. Once it's onset, it can't really be stopped."

"How does he know this?" Logan asked curiously, looking between the two of them.

"Because his mom died of cervical cancer. And that's what I'm afraid of. Katie isn't even a mother yet." Kendall flipped open his phone a few times, but didn't dial the number he needed to. He needed Jo. He needed to talk to her. He just couldn't bring himself to tell her yet.

The trio looked up when the door closed. James looked somberly between the three of them. "She's awake and coherent." He folded his arms and leaned against the door for a long time, breathing short breaths, almost hyperventilating. They'd never seen him so weak. "She didn't overdose as I suspected. She relapsed. Bad. She was trying to find her medicine when she just…got so weak, she passed out." James shook his head. "I should have been there."

Logan stood and went over to the handsome man, putting a hand on his shoulder gently. "You would have been much worse off if you'd been there. And if you hadn't told me what happened, I'd never know to call Kendall."

"We talked about treatment options…" James whispered, continuing to speak. "They're prepping her for surgery. She's too far gone for it to go on much longer. She's only ninety pounds right now, and the treatment caused her white blood cells to drop significantly, which had increased her risk for infection and disease. That's why she's so weak." He frowned. "Her medicine makes her so sick, she can't eat anymore."

"Is that why she's been avoiding us?" Kendall asked, looking up sadly from his spot in the hallway.

"She was avoiding everyone. Katie didn't want to admit there was a problem." He slowed his hyper breathing, placing a hand over his heart for a long time to calm himself down. "She told me that she's accepted what happens. This is her life. This was the hand she was dealt. She's going to make the most of it…regardless of circumstance, or fear, or…me."

Carlos blinked several times before speaking to James. "What do you mean by or…me?"

"It's something that stays between her and I for the time being." He looked away when he heard the door open again, the doctor that was in there with him wheeling her bed out.

Katie's brown eyes were calmly watching everyone. Kendall couldn't even bring himself to look at her. "I love you, big brother." She whispered.

Kendall smiled softly. "I love you, too, little sister. You better get better. If you don't, I'll have to kick your butt." It was the first time he'd laughed since he found out. "Promise."

"I don't make promises I can't keep."

It was the last thing she said to them.

Read my profile for the skinny on the lack of updates, peeps. And read and review. This isn't done yet. Not by a long shot. =D

Also, because of my lack of updates, I'm going to post chapter five once I get five reviews for this chapter. So get on it, people. XD