Author Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. It was much appreciated.
Disclaimer: What's mine is mine, and what's not is not.
…
Nate stared at the ceiling. The moment Jenny's hand had left his, he had left the room. It hadn't felt appropriate for him to be there. He felt like he was infringing upon a private moment; a Humphrey moment.
"Why the hell is she not in a hospital?"
Nate flinched, and turned to find Jenny and Dan standing in the hallway.
…
"She was in the hospital. She was practically living there for the past two years," Dan shotback.
"Well, why is she here?" Jenny demanded.
Dan ran a hand over his face, displaying his frustration, "Because she didn't want to die in a hospital!"
Jenny took a step back; shocked.
Dan's composure softened, "the doctors gave up on her."
Jenny shook her head in disbelief, an almost inaudible "no," left her lips.
Dan's shoulders slumped. "There isn't anything more they can do for her Jen. She only has a few days left – a week tops."
…
A Few Hours Later…
Jenny stirred lightly. She couldn't remember when she had fallen asleep. The last thing she remembered was Dan telling her that their mother was dying and that funeral preparations were already underway. Jenny almost had wanted to slap him.
Her pillow was damp. Jenny rubbed her eyes and found that her lashes were still wet; her cheeks felt rough – probably tear stained, and her throat hurt.
She got up slowly, and soon realized that she had fallen asleep on the couch. Jenny rubbed at her eyes again, only to find a cup obstructing her vision when she had finished. She yelped, and practically jumped out of her skin.
"Sorry."
Jenny looked up in shock. She'd recognize that voice anywhere. "You're still here?"
Nate frowned, "Did you want me to leave?" His hand was still outstretched.
She took the cup from him, and stared at the milky brown liquid inside. "No. I just didn't expect you to stick around, that's all. You shouldn't have had to deal with all of this."
Nate didn't answer. He only stared at her.
Jenny took a sip of the coffee he had given her, "is my mom awake?"
"She's sleeping," Nate revealed. "Dan took off a few minutes ago to meet with a … florist."
Jenny frowned at that.
An awkward beat of silence past between them, before Nate broke it. "Did you want to talk about…you know."
Jenny made a face, and then swallowed hard. "I just. I-I feel so useless."
Nate furrowed his eyebrows at her, "What? Why?"
"I wasn't here for her. I wasn't here to help," Jenny said slowly. "And now, I'm here, and I don't know what to do."
"You're in shock," Nate rationalized. "You just need some time to process everything."
"But that's the thing," Jenny reminded, "I can't afford it. My mother doesn't have time."
Nate went quiet at that. He knew how Jenny felt. At this very moment, he felt the same way she did. Useless. He didn't know what to say or do that could make this better for her; to make this better for everyone.
Jenny was on the brink of tears again, and all he could do was watch the walls as they crashed down around him.
He wanted nothing more than to save her. He wanted her to be happy. He wanted…
And that's when it came to him. This wasn't about him. This was about her. What did Jenny want?
"Jenny?"
Jenny blinked away tears, "yeah?"
"I have an idea," Nate said.
Jenny turned to look at him confused.
…
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