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Greg opened his eyes when there was a knock at his door. He watched Nick walk in and sit down next to him.

"I was hoping you didn't have any visitors" Nick commented.

Greg looked at him, "Morgan stayed with me all night. Everyone else has other stuff to do" he replied with a raspy voice.

Nick nodded slowly and didn't say anything for a while.

"Is there a reason you're here?" Greg asked him tiredly.

Nick looked down to him and nodded, "I… I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry, about yesterday."

Greg closed his eyes and rolled his head on his pillow, "I accept your apology. I'm sorry too."

Nick smiled slightly and nodded. "It was just a shock to hear you talk like that, you know?" he said when Greg didn't say anything else, "I just want you to get better."

"I don't think that's going to happen" Greg said, his eyes still shut.

Nick swallowed deeply, "Yes it is."

Greg opened his eyes and rolled his head along his pillow to look at Nick, "I've slept for about twelve hours already today and I still feel tired. I could sleep all day and I'll still feel tired."

Nick shook his head slowly, "If you have the surgery, you-"

"Nick, if I have the surgery it'll probably kill me" Greg told him, staring him straight in the eyes.

Nick shook his head again, "No it won't. Look, I talked to a great person when I had a rough time after the whole Walter Gordon thing, you should talk to her."

Greg opened his eyes again and sighed, "Don't waste your time Nick."

"I'm not wasting my time" Nick argued but Greg spoke again.

"Please don't make me fall out with you again, I can't do it" Greg pleaded with him.

"No Greg, why can't you admit that you need help?" Nick asked him.

"I admit I need help. I need something to get rid of this cancer but I can't see that happening."

Nick sighed, "Talk to your doctor about surgery, he can tell you more about it."

"This can save your life" Nick added when Greg didn't respond.

"Greg, for god's sake just acknowledge me or something!" Nick told him frustrated, "Let me go and get your doctor."

"I'm having surgery on Thursday" Greg told him quietly.

Nick stared at him for a moment before going to take his seat once more, "Good. Good" he repeated.

Neither of them said anything for a while until Greg spoke again, "I'm sorry, for being a jackass."

Nick laughed slightly, "You've not been a jackass. I really think you need to talk to this woman though, she can help you, make you feel better" Nick told him.

"I don't need to see a therapist" Greg told him bluntly.

"Just try it out, man, especially when you've had your surgery" Nick said to him, "It'll help you deal with everything."

Greg shook his head, "Please stop talking about this" he requested sadly.

"I can't Greg, I'm just trying to help you feel better" Nick told him. "Believe me it will help."

"I'm tired" Greg told him plainly and Nick nodded as he stood to go.

"Right, I know you are. I'll be back tomorrow" Nick told him as he stood by the door.

Greg nodded and turned his head away. Nick opened the door and shut it quietly behind him. He leaned on the door and sighed. Two more days, Greg would be in surgery. The surgery that could end his life.


"Hey" Morgan said quietly as she entered Greg's hospital room and saw him open his eyes slowly.

"Hey" he said back with a weak voice.

"How are you feeling?" Morgan asked him with a small smile as she sat next to him.

Greg sighed, "Like usual."

Morgan nodded sadly, "Hopefully you can rest some tomorrow. Are you nervous?"

Greg nodded his head in his pillow, "Like you wouldn't believe" he admitted.

Morgan grabbed his hand, "Everything will be ok. I know it."

Greg gave her a small smile and closed his eyes, "Let's hope so."

"Did you speak to Nick?" Morgan asked him after a moment.

"Yeah, he wants me to see therapist" Greg told her, looking up to her.

Morgan cocked an eyebrow, "Maybe that's a good idea" she said to him in an almost shy voice.

Greg turned his head to her and sighed, "Not you too. Please don't talk about this" he asked her.

"Ok, ok, I won't" Morgan told him with a small smile. "You want to do anything before your surgery? Less than 24 hours to go."

Greg rolled his head to look at her, "Thanks for reminding me" he said sarcastically, making her smile slightly as he cracked a small one of his own, "I can't think of anything I feel like doing right now."

"Alright, fancy watching a film?" Morgan asked, already going into her bag.

"Sure, what have you brought this time?" He asked her as he shuffled on his bed.

Morgan smiled, "Finding Nemo."

Greg smiled as she came back over to him after putting the DVD in. She smiled back and climbed on his bed next to him, the same way she always did when they watched a film together, something that had become something of a habit whilst he was at the hospital.

Morgan kept glancing over to Greg, noticing how he was drifting asleep and she prayed that this wouldn't be the last time they got to do this together.


"Hey Sara, I need to ask you something" Nick said as he walked into the lab where Sara was working.

She looked up and smiled, "Sure, what's up?"

"Do you know that Greg's having surgery tomorrow?" He asked her hopefully.

Sara's jaw dropped open, "Surgery? He's having it?"

Nick nodded, sort of relieved that he wasn't the only one who didn't know, "Yeah, you didn't know either?"

"No, I had no idea" Sara told him, "Does Russell know?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, I'm going to ask him now" he told her before leaving her lab and walking down the hall to the end where Russell's office was.

He knocked on the open door and went inside, "Hey, Nick."

"Hey, did you know Greg's having surgery tomorrow?" Nick asked him straight up.

Russell sat up in his seat, "No I didn't. What time is he having it?"

Nick sat down in front of him, "I think he said about 4:00."

Russell nodded, "Alright, go and tell everyone, we'll go and see him before hand."

Nick nodded, "Ok, I'll talk to you later."


Nick went into the locker room after closing his case and saw Morgan in there; "Hey" he greeted her.

She looked up to him and smiled, "Hey, you finished your case?"

He nodded and smiled, "yeah, just. It was quite a simple one so it was a nice way to finish off the day."

Morgan smiled as she stood to put something in her locker.

"Do you know about Greg's surgery tomorrow?" Nick asked her whilst she was hidden behind her locker door.

She slowly shut it and looked up to him guiltily.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" He asked her, trying to contain his anger.

She put her hands up in defence, "Greg didn't want me to tell anyone so I didn't."

"You don't think we want to know things like this?" Nick asked her ridiculously.

Morgan locked her locker door and picked up her bag, ready to leave, "Yes I do, but Greg told me not to tell you all."

She tried to walk by Nick but he put his hand out to stop her, reaching it across onto the lockers, blocking her path.

"Can you move please" Morgan requested, trying to cover up how intimidated she felt.

Nick stared at her and then pulled his arm back, allowing her to walk by him. He sighed when she left and sat down on the benches in the locker room, rubbing his hands stressfully through his hair.


The team walked into the hospital room and saw Morgan sat close to Greg's head, her hand in his.

"Hey guys. Greg, how are you feeling?" Russell asked as he led the team in.

Greg nodded slightly, "Ok."

Russell smiled at him as the team sat down, "We brought some things that you might want after your surgery" he told him as he nodded to a basket Sara held in her hands, "everyone at the lab pitched in for you."

He looked over to it and offered up a small smile, "Thanks, you all didn't have to."

Catherine smiled, "Of course we did. If we'd have known you were having surgery sooner we might have gotten you something a little better."

"Yeah, if someone had told us" Nick said spitefully, looking at Morgan.

Morgan diverted her eyes from him and looked down.

"Hey don't blame her," Greg started.

"Greg, it doesn't matter" Morgan told him and gave him a smile.

"Yes it does, we were all left in the dark about this whole thing" Nick argued.

"Because I didn't tell you" Greg told him, "it's got nothing to do with Morgan."

"She could have told us" Nick said back to him as the rest of the team sat not knowing what to do.

Greg pushed himself up ever so slightly and let go of Morgan's hand, "I told her not to. Haven't you thought maybe I didn't want you all to know?" he asked him, "maybe I didn't want you all to know that when I saw you the last time could actually be the last time?" he asked him as his breathing quickened.

"I didn't tell any of you because I didn't want to say goodbye" he admitted. "I told Morgan because I knew she wouldn't tell anyone else. I told you because I wanted you…" he took a moment and looked down, "I just wanted you to get off my back. I didn't want to end on bad terms."

The whole team were silent as Greg coughed, trying to regain his breath.

Nick shook his head and frowned, "Greg, I'm sorry" he said with a regretful face, "I really am."

Greg looked over to him and nodded as he leant back into his pillows.

Catherine grabbed his hand and smiled, "Well now that we know about your surgery, just be strong and know that we're going to be here through all of this."

He squeezed her hand back and offered a small smile, "Thanks."

Greg's hospital door opened and his doctor walked in with a nurse.

"I see you have a lot of visitors so I'll keep it short" he started, "We just need to check some things over and then we'll be back in about an hour to take you through to the operating theatre. If you want to ask anything, call one of the nurses in here, Mary is going to be in theatre with me so ask for her" he told Greg, smiling at the nurse next to him, "does that sound alright?"

Greg nodded to him and he smiled back, "Ok, well I'll see you in an hour."

The team watched as he left and then turned back to Greg. They talked to him for half an hour until they noticed he wasn't saying much.

"You want us to go? You can have some time to yourself before you go in" Russell suggested to him.

Greg looked at him and let out a small sigh, "No it's alright."

The team looked at him sympathetically as they saw the nerves overcoming him.

"You'll be alright" Russell said to him with a smile, as if reading his thoughts.

Greg smiled at him nervously and then the others, "I don't want to do it."

"You have to, it's going to help you" Catherine told him, squeezing his hand.

But Greg shook his head, "No, I don't want to do it."

The team shared worried looks with each other, "I know it's scary bud, but you need this surgery" Russell told him.

Greg looked to him and rolled his head slightly on his pillows, "I really don't want it. Someone tell them I'm not doing it" he said to the team.

Morgan leaned over and picked up his hand again, "Greg, please do this. We've talked about it and you need to do this."

Greg looked at her and shook his head, "Isn't there anything else they can do?"

She shook her head sadly, "They've tried, you know that. Please, do this."

He sighed quietly and looked at the team.

"Greggo we need you to have this surgery" Nick said to him, still feeling the emotions from when he first entered the room.

Greg nodded slowly, "Yeah."

Morgan squeezed his hand, "We'll be waiting here for when you wake up, I promise."

Greg nodded again and squeezed her hand back weakly.

"Okay."


Four hours later

"Oh my god" Catherine walked forward first, the others following her into Greg's new room in intensive care. They all gathered around his bed and the doctor stood at the end.

"I know it looks like there's a lot going on and there is, but he's made it through, which is the most important thing" he told them, "I'll be back soon to check on him."

The team paid little attention to the doctor as they all stared at Greg. It was a sad sight; multiple tubes ran from various parts of his body, draining wounds and monitoring his fluids. An oxygen mask had also been placed over his mouth and a tube was coming from his nose.

"What's that for?" Morgan asked as she looked at it in slight disgust.

"It should stop him from getting sick when he wakes up" Russell informed her.

She nodded in understanding and frowned as she looked at him, "How much did the doctor say he managed to get?"

"Most of it" Sara told her, "Some more chemo should get rid of the rest."

The team sat in silence from then, waiting for Greg to wake up.


"Hey, how are you feeling?" Catherine asked when she saw Greg looking at her and the rest of the group.

He rolled his eyes to look around groggily and saw the team smile at him.

"You did it, man. You got through it" Nick told him, rubbing his arm in a brotherly way.

Greg didn't do anything, being too exhausted and his mind too foggy to be coherent.

"Go back to sleep, you deserve some rest" Sara told him. He didn't need telling twice and as soon as his eyes shut, he was once again asleep.


"Here, just take a small sip, if you can manage to hold it we can take your tube out" the nurse said as she passed him a cup of water with a straw.

To his surprise, the team were still there. He had no idea what time it was, but he was sure they had to be tired and wanting to be in bed right then.

He took a few more sips of water and the nurse was satisfied that the tube could be taken out.

"This might be a little uncomfortable," she told him as she gently began pulling the tube out. Greg grimaced but within seconds the tube was out. "There we go, how are you feeling?"

Greg swallowed, getting used to the tube being gone, "Alright."

"Ok, good. I'll be back to check on you in an hour or so. You can have some ice chips that I've left on the table, and you'll probably be pretty tired again soon so don't let your friends keep you up. And that oxygen mask needs to be kept on for a while" she told him as she brought it back down over his face.

"I'll be back soon" she told him again before walking past the team and leaving them alone.

"You feeling ok?" Catherine asked him.

He nodded and gave her a smile, "It feels good to still be here."

Nick, Sara and Morgan smiled, having heard what Greg said the other day shocked them all, so it was good to hear him say that.

"Are you too tired to have us here? We can go so that you can sleep" Morgan told him.

"I like having you guys here" he said, slurring his words slightly.

The doctor told them that it's usual to have speech problems and a number of other problems, but they were almost certain to go away pretty quickly.

"Well that's good because we didn't want to go anyway" Catherine told him with a smile.

He smiled back and took a long drag of the oxygen being fed to him though the mask over his mouth.

"Can I have some ice please" he asked no one in particular.

Sara grabbed the cup and spoon laid out by the nurse and came over. Greg raised his hand and weakly pulled the mask down to rest on his collar bone.

He was weak before the surgery had even happened, the radiotherapy, chemo and stress of everything just taking all of his energy. But now he felt as if he could do nothing, his body felt so tired.

"You want me to pass them to you?" Sara asked him.

He shook his head ever so slightly and held his hand out to take the cup. He grasped it feebly and rested the cup and his hand down on his lap, taking the spoon from her with his other hand.

He coughed slightly and winced as the stitches on his head pulled painfully. The team looked at him with sympathy and he attempted to feed himself some cooling ice chips. He only managed to get some on the spoon, as he found that he couldn't lift his arm high enough to reach his mouth.

Without a word, Sara took it back from him and passed him some on the spoon, which he took without even looking at her. The team shared sad glances and Nick squeezed his arm comfortingly, "You've just had major surgery man, don't beat yourself up over this. You need time to recover and regain your strength."

The team agreed with him but Greg still didn't say anything, humiliated that he couldn't even feed himself some ice chips.

For the rest of the time they were there, the team made small talk and tried to include Greg but it was clear he didn't want to talk, so they left after a few hours so that he could rest.

Once he was alone, Greg let a tear roll down his face. Although the surgery had been a success, he couldn't help but feel worse somehow. He still had to have more chemotherapy to try and remove the rest of the tumour, but Greg felt pessimistic about whether it would actually work. He sat thinking about everything for a long time before feeling exhaustion overcome him again, and he closed his eyes, welcoming the sleep that awaited him.


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