A/N: I'd just like to give a thank you to The Black Pages for being my right hand woman on certain ideas for my story, for allowing me to bounce ideas off her. I greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

Chapter 14

"Good morning," Liz greeted them cheerfully. But, then, noticing the looks on their faces, she changed her attitude slightly. "I'm sorry; is something wrong?" she asked sympathetically.

"Harry's not doing so well," Nathan explained sadly.

"You two should have called; we could have changed things around," Liz began.

But, Kristin shook her head. "We'd like to get this trial over and done with so we can close that chapter of our lives. The faster it's over, the faster we can focus all our attention on Harry."

"You're sure?" Liz asked. "I don't want you to feel forced into anything."

"The doctor will call if there's an emergency," Nathan said. "But, everything should be fine."

Liz looked at Kristin, who nodded in agreement. "Alright," she said, "if you're sure, let's get started then."

And so, Liz got to work in preparing them for their depositions. The others would be deposed in the days following, but Nathan and Kristin were first on the list.

Although it was difficult to try to recall all the details, only because they had been so traumatic, remembering them now didn't seem as painful as it had once been; the reason being that now, there were more important things to worry about. Being kidnapped and beaten and being held hostage by a madman seemed like a trivial matter compared to the pain they'd feel when and if they lost their child. Strange how one thing can always seem like the worst thing in the world, or at least until something more horrible happens. It certainly put things into a new perspective.

After an hour, Nathan and Kristin had both been prepared. Of course, Liz couldn't tell them exactly what they'd be asked since she didn't know herself. But, her main concern was making sure they could emotionally handle recalling such details. It was apparent now that they could, although it was easy to see their minds were elsewhere.

"Well, I think you two will be just fine. Do you have any questions?"

They shook their heads.

"When you meet with the lawyers, perhaps you should let them know about Harry," Liz said. "I mean, they already know about his illness, but you should let them know you want to get back to him as soon as possible. Depositions can take up a lot of time."

"We'll do that," Nathan said. "Thank you."

Liz held her arms out to Kristin as she stood. Kristin gratefully accepted her embrace. "I hope things get better for you."

Kristin nodded against her shoulder, trying not to break down once again. "Me too," she whispered.

Liz gently broke away from Kristin and hugged Nathan as well. Liz whispered something to Nathan that Kristin couldn't hear, but she deduced it was some sort of condolence as well. After they'd said their goodbyes, they left.

Nathan looked at his watch. "We have a couple hours before we need to go to the court house. Do you want to catch a bite to eat? Or go straight to the hospital?"

All Kristin had to do was give him a look, and Nathan knew what she wanted. It was the same thing he was thinking. He didn't even know why he felt the need to ask her. "I suppose we can always grab something from the hospital cafeteria for lunch."

Kristin gave him a small smile. "We just have to make sure we're not late. It won't be easy to tear ourselves away from him again."

"We'll manage," Nathan assured her.

A short time later, they arrived in Harry's room. They were surprised when they bumped into Wendy and Kristy. "Oh, hi," Wendy greeted them. "I hope you don't mind that I brought her here. It's just that she wanted to see Harry…and I thought it would be fine, under the circumstances."

"Of course," Kristin said with a gentle smile. She looked over to her two children, Harry lying in the hospital bed, and Kristy holding his hand. The two were talking quietly, smiling, and laughing. The two looked up to see their parents.

"Hi, Mom," Harry said. "Hi, Dad."

"Hi," Kristy echoed.

Kristin and Nathan walked over to them while Wendy lagged behind, to give them time together as a family. Kristin kissed them both on the cheek. "Are you feeling better?" she asked Harry.

"A little, yeah," he admitted. "I was finally able to eat something again once I woke up. And, I haven't vomited yet."

"That's good." Nathan moved Kristy off the bed and set her on his lap. "Maybe you'll be home again soon."

"Yeah, I miss everyone. Do you think anyone else will be visiting?" Harry asked hopefully.

"I don't know," Kristin admitted. "Everyone probably just wants to give you time to rest."

Harry looked dejected. "You two have to leave again soon, don't you?"

"Yes, but we're here now. And the others probably didn't know you wanted visitors. We can call them," Nathan offered.

"And Aunt Wendy and I will stay here, won't we?" Kristy slid of Nathan's knee and took Wendy's hand.

"When did you start calling her aunt?" Harry asked.

"Is that a problem?" Wendy asked somewhat worriedly. She wasn't only asking Harry, but Nathan and Kristin as well. "We've been spending so much time together, Kristy just started saying it. And, I never corrected her."

Kristin and Nathan exchanged glances. Kristin had noticed when Kristy had said it earlier. She had to admit, it was somewhat surprising, but she certainly couldn't blame the child. At least she hadn't called her 'Mom'. Kristin couldn't handle that. "It's fine," Kristin said. "You've become so close with us, it really is like you're family."

Nathan nodded in agreement.

"So you don't want to go to the park after all?" Wendy asked Kristy. "You were so excited before."

Kristy sighed. "Maybe when Harry's better, we can all go. I couldn't have fun knowing he'd be sad if we left."

Kristin, Nathan, and Wendy smiled. How mature for young Kristy to say that; the child was definitely wise beyond her years.

"You don't have to stay," Harry said. "I don't want to stop you from having fun."

"It'll be more fun with you," Kristy insisted. "Besides, we can have just as much fun here, can't we, Aunt Wendy?"

"Of course. We have coloring books and a few games in the car. I can always bring them up."

"That'd be great," Harry said. "Now, that I'm feeling better, I'm bored."

"Just don't overdo it," Kristin warned.

"I'll make sure of that," Wendy insisted.

"And as soon as we're finished, we'll be back here to see you," Nathan replied.

So, everyone's mood became lighter. Kristin and Nathan breathed a small sigh of relief, seeing as how Harry seemed to be feeling better. Of course, he was far from being out of the woods yet, but he even looked a little bitter than he had that morning. After visiting for a while, the doctor came in.

"Oh, I'm glad you two are here. Can I have a word?" Dr. Elders asked.

The two followed the doctor to her office, trying to determine if this would be good news or bad news.

"Please have a seat," she said, motioning towards two chairs in front of her desk.

As they sat, she continued. "I'm sure you're pleased with the change in him."

"He says he's feeling better. He is doing better, isn't he?" Nathan asked worriedly.

"The tests indicate he is, I assure you. In fact, if he keeps doing well, I think he may be able to go home tomorrow. I do have something I want to address to you two though. I want to know if you'd be interested in trying a more aggressive treatment.

"Aggressive?" Nathan questioned.

She nodded. "So far, we've been using the all-trans retinoic acid with the chemotherapy. As you know," she said, looking at Kristin, "it is effective in treating APL patients. But, in Harry's case, I can't guarantee there won't be another relapse. That makes him high-risk, considering it's his second time."

"You want to try arsenic trioxide," Kristin confirmed.

The doctor nodded. "It's proven to be effective to preventing such a relapse; we'd use it in addition to the other medications."

"So, you're familiar with it?" Nathan asked his wife, feeling somewhat left out for a moment.

Kristin nodded. "It's been one of the treatments for years; it is FDA approved. But there are risks."

"Risks?"

"Well, as a general rule, arsenic is toxic to the body," Kristin began. "And then, there are other various side effects, many that's he's already experienced. Some are a little more serious."

"Like what?"

"Heart problems can be an issue, but they're rare. A more serious side effect is APL differentiation syndrome. It's a reaction to the drug and leukemia together. But, we can treat that with steroids if it happens," Dr. Elders explained. She handed them a pamphlet. "This lists all the information. You don't need to make a decision now, but it's definitely something to think about, especially if we do find a match for him. The cancer needs to be controlled before surgery."

"How long do we have to think about it?" Nathan asked.

"I'd like to know by next week, before his next treatment," Dr. Elders explained. "The earlier we can begin, the better. And, we should find out if anyone tested has been a match by tomorrow. Do you have any questions for me?"

They shook their heads. "Not at the moment."

"Well, if you do have any, feel free to call me, day or night. I know this is a big decision. Well, I won't keep you any longer, since I know you two have to leave soon."

They both nodded and muttered thank yous. With that, the doctor left.

Nathan turned to Kristin. "What do you think about this?"

"I-I'm not sure yet." She sighed. "We really don't have much time as it is. I want to see Harry before we leave."

"Fine," Nathan said. "Lead the way."

The two walked back in to a rousing game of Operation. "You buzzed," Harry said.

"No, I didn't," Kristy insisted. "I just dropped the tweezers."

"It doesn't matter," Harry said. "A buzz is a buzz."

"Aunt Wendy, what do you think?" Kristy asked.

"Having fun?" Nathan asked, interrupting.

"Yeah," the three answered.

"Everything OK?" Wendy asked. She could see the look on their faces.

"Uh, why don't you two keep playing while we talk to Wendy alone?" Nathan suggested. Then, he turned to Kristy, "And your brother's right. A buzz is a buzz."

Kristy sighed. "Fine," she said, handing her brother the tweezers.

"Good girl," Nathan said. "You two have fun."

The three adults then walked to the other side of the room. Kristin showed her the pamphlet.

"Arsenic trioxide?" Wendy whispered. "Are you two going to say yes?"

"I don't know yet," Kristin admitted.

Nathan agreed. Then he asked, "What do you think?"

"I-I…I'm not sure," Wendy admitted. However, unlike Kristin, she could still separate herself from Harry to be able to look at him as a patient. "Considering this is his second time, it's not a bad idea."

"Even with all the side-effects?" Kristin asked worriedly.

"You know every patient is different. It certainly can't hurt to try, especially if a match is found," Wendy said.

"That's exactly what Karen just said," Nathan replied.

"I told you she was a good doctor. Of course, you two have a little bit to think about it, right?"

"About a week," Kristin said. "We have to leave shortly."

"Of course. Well, whatever you two decide, I'll support you," Wendy offered.

"Thanks; that means a lot to us," Kristin said. Nathan nodded his agreement.

"That's what friends are for. I'll leave you alone for a minute."

Nathan and Kristin walked back over to Harry's bed. "Is everything OK?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Everything's fine, Champ," Nathan promised. "The doctor said your tests are showing that you're doing much better."

"So, I'll get to go home soon?" he asked hopefully.

"Maybe tomorrow," Nathan said, repeating what the doctor had said. "If you keep doing well, that is."

"Then, we can go to the park," Kristy said excitedly.

"We'll see," Kristin replied. "That won't mean Harry's all better."

"I know," Kristy said.

"Well, you'd better give us a kiss and hug. We'll come back as soon as we're finished," Kristin promised. She leaned over to embrace both her children. "See you later."

Nathan did the same thing.

"OK, bye," Harry said. "Love you."

"Love you too, Kiddo," Nathan said.

Kristin blew them one last kiss as they walked out. "See you two later."

Once in the courthouse, Nathan and Kristin were led to a large conference room. "This seems like an awfully large room," Kristin muttered.

"Liz did mention the state had more than one lawyer," Nathan reminded her. "And we'll be deposed by both sides."

Kristin sighed. "I'd rather not be here."

Nathan took her hand and squeezed gently. "Me either, but we agreed to see it through to the end."

She nodded. A moment later, the double wooden doors opened and in walked two very professional looking people, a man and a woman.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bridger?" the woman asked, extending her hand.

They both stood and shook her hand.

"I'm Lily Thorton."

The man at her side did the same thing. " And, I'm Jake Cosgrove. We're both prosecutors for the state."

"We'll be doing our questioning simultaneously," Lily explained. "We understand you have an ill child, so we don't want to keep you any longer than necessary. As long as you're willing, it should go smoothly."

"What about the defense team?" Nathan asked. "We have to be questioned by them as well?"

"After we're finished, yes. However, they know you're situation as well. They've agreed not to keep you any longer than necessary as well," Jake said.

"We appreciate that," Kristin said.

"Well, then, let's get started," Lily said. "Do either of you have a preference as to who starts first?"

Nathan and Kristin shook their heads.

"OK then, Mrs. Bridger, if you'll please come with us. Mr. Bridger, you may wait here."

Kristin followed the two into a smaller conference room off the larger one. Of course, both lawyers asked a score of questions about what had happened in Spain. However, they seemed pleased with her answers. Less than an hour later, they were ushering her out and bringing Nathan in. His questioning did take a bit longer, since he was aware of everything that happened; Kristin had been unconscious for most of it. But, still, just a little over an hour, and he was finished as well.

Afterwards, they met the defense attorneys, Joseph Carey and Christine Simmons. But, two hours later, they were finished with the defense questions. Kristin and Nathan breathed a sigh of relief. Although they'd dreaded it, the depositions were finally over. Now, they just had to focus on Harry until the trial began.