I am super sorry that it has been so long since I last updated. I will try to update again this week if time permits. I hope that you have enjoyed reading this story. I would love to hear what you guys think about this story. It would mean alot. Anyhow, enough with my drabble...onto the real reason you are here- the story. I hope that you enjoy :)

Chapter Ten: The Perks of Being a Cancer Patient

Well, the past few days have been going alright. I suppose that they are going as great as they can especially seeing that I have been trapped in this sterile cell. It really hasn't been all bad though. I just wish that I could be done here. It stinks to be confined to this room and I can barely even get out.

"Good morning." My dad says as he comes into the room.

"Good morning." I say.

"So, how was last night?" He asks.

"Fine." I say. "When will I be able to get out of here?"

"Soon enough." He says. "I think that you will be able to get out of here in about two weeks."

"And when is Zac and Caleb's graduation?" I ask.

"Saturday." He says.

"I wish that I could be there, especially since Zac is valedictorian." I say.

"I know, but I know that they both will understand." He says.

"I know, but I really want to be there." I say. I feel awful that I have to miss out on things like this. It is really annoying. That's the perks to having cancer.

"Well, I wish that I could stay a little longer, but I have to go to work." He says.

"Ok." I say. "If you are able to come back later, please do. It gets boring here all alone."

"I know that it does." He says. "I'm sure that someone will be up here in a little while. I'm not sure when but don't worry."

"Ok." I say.

"I love you, sweet heart." He says. He then leaves. I am then all alone. I then pull out my phone. Who can I text or call? I look through my contacts. When I get to Chris' contact I stop. I almost hit the button to call him, but I change my mind. I have a feeling that he is still mad at me, and he has every reason to be. It has almost been a month since we have spoke to each other. We never have went that long without speaking to each other, even when we were just friends. I don't know what to do. I miss him, but I don't want to talk about cancer. I don't want him to worry more and more about me. I don't want to put him through anything that isn't necessary. I feel like that wouldn't be nice or fair. He wouldn't want to get involved with this anyhow. I just wish that I could wave a magic wand and I would be cancer free, almost as if nothing had happened at all. That would be nice. That really would be the best thing in the entire world. My family has been put through way too much in the past month. I wish that I had not gotten sick. That would be my biggest wish among anything in the entire world. That would be awesome!

(Chris' POV)

I still haven't heard anything from Jess. It is starting to make me feel miserable. Does she really hate me? I don't know what to think. I really haven't even been able to focus on anything for the past few days. I barely am even able to get through a class. Every time I teach anything I think about Jess. Right now I am having the class read her favorite novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I thought that she would really like that I was doing this, but I can't stop thinking about her. Every time I start reading some of the book, which she actually had given to me some time ago, I get distracted. I keep reading and re-reading the message that she had wrote on the inside cover of the book:

Chris, I know that you are probably going to think that it is silly that I am giving you this novel, but I know that you will enjoy it just as much as I do! It is a classic and I think that it is definitely worth reading even if you only read it once.

Love, Jessica 3

Jess has always been the one that pushed me into trying and experiencing new things, and of course she is the one that brought me to not only like this book and she inspired me to become an english teacher. It just makes it that much harder to teach.

After a long and tiring day of trying to teach and my mind really isn't into it, I go home and do something that usually makes me happy, basketball. I go outside and start shooting. Every time that I try to make a basket I miss. I try nearly forty times. I can't even play basketball right anymore. Finally, I throw the basketball as far as I possibly can.

"Chris." Dad says. "If you're trying to make a basket that isn't the best way to do that."

"I know." I say.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

"Everything." I say.

"It has to do with Jess, doesn't it?" He asks.

"Yeah." I say.

"I'm going to tell you something." He says. "I wasn't supposed to tell you this, but I think that you need to know this."

"Ok, what is it?" I ask.

"You might want to sit down." Dad says. We then go over to where the patio furniture is located. "I think that I know why Jessica told you no, and why she hasn't talked to you."

"How would you know?" I ask.

"Jess has cancer." Dad says.

"She has what?" I ask.

"Cancer." Dad says. I let that sink in for a second. She is dying. Is she even alright? Is she going to be alright?

"How long has she known?" I ask.

"She found out on the same day that you asked her to marry you." He says.

"Why didn't she tell me?" I ask.

"I think that she had planned on telling you, but after that she didn't want to make you worry." He says.

"I've had a hard time functioning these past few weeks." I say. "I've been trying to figure out why she wouldn't talk to me."

"I wasn't supposed to be the one to tell you." He says.

"Why?" I ask.

"She wanted to be the one to tell you." He says.

"But she didn't." I say.

"I know." He says.

"I need to talk to her." I say.

"Maybe it would be best to wait." He says.

"Where is she?" I ask.

"She's in the hospital." He says.

"She's- she's not about to die is she?" I ask.

"No, she's going through a round of chemo right now." He says. "She'll be done with it in about two weeks and will be able to go home."

"So, you think that I should wait until then?" I ask.

"Not necessarily." He says. "I just think that you need to think through what you are going to say to her, I wouldn't just barge in there."

"What type of cancer does she have?" I ask.

"Leukemia, but it is in stage two." He says. "Out of four."

"Ok." I say. "She's one of the strongest people that I know. I'm sure that she'll be able to win this battle."

"I hope so." He says.

"I just wish that she had said something." I say. "I wasn't going to break up with her over this."

"I know that, and deep down I think that she knew that, but she was terrified when she got the news. I think that she thought that she wasn't going to make it." He says.

"I still wish that she had said something." I say. "I would have been there for her, no matter what was going on."

"She didn't want to worry you." He says.

"Well, she already did that." I say.

"I know." He says.

"At least I know that she doesn't hate me." I say.

"I don't know why you would have thought that in the first place." He says.

"I don't know, I just miss her so much." I say. "I want to see her, but I don't know if I am prepared to see her in pain and hurting."

"Just take some time, and figure out what you are going to do." He says.

"Has she lost her hair yet?" I ask.

"I don't think so, but she has only had chemo two or three times." He says. "I think that pretty soon it is going to take a toll on her."

"I just hope that she will be alright." I say. I am almost in tears thinking about it.

"I haven't talked to Troy today, but from what I last heard she is doing ok." He says.

"Ok." I say. "I'm glad that she is." I then go inside and go upstairs to my room so that I can have some space to think about what I need to do next. I need to sort things out in my mind, and then go from there. Maybe I will get up the nerve to go up to the hospital and talk to her. At least I hope that I will.