'Mrs Moore? Hello, I'm Kim Franklin from West Park Estates. Please follow me' said the smartly dressed young woman who had just shook Keri's hand outside of a newly built apartment block which Keri had organised a viewing for the day before she went into hospital. She had been very lucky in her find, the last apartment she was about to view was the only one left in the block for sale after the rest had been snapped up as soon as they'd gone on the market the previous Friday.

'Ground floor with garden access and a hell of a lot of space, I expected this to one of the ones to go first!' said Kim as she opened the door to the apartment and ushered Keri inside while beginning to roll off a list of features and measurements as she showed her client around. But all the sales talk she had launched into was wasted, because as soon as Keri had taken the first tour around she'd said one word.

'Sold'

It was perfect. It had a huge living space with a big kitchen area that was elevated off the rest of the floor over by the door, with one huge bedroom and one smaller and a nice large bathroom. Also it was well within the price tag of $200,000 she'd marked as the most she wanted to pay, a bargain at just $130,000. Meryl had decided to let Keri have her inheritance early, wanting her to enjoy her money and what she could so with it while she could, once again because of the 'just in case' factor everyone was aware of but desperately trying not to keep remembering. And buying herself a home for her and her husband was just one of the ways Keri was enjoying her money, she had plans for the rest of it too, the main wedge to be saved and the other to spend as she saw fit.

Ignoring the fact she would be recovering from her operation she booked an appointment to visit the offices and get the paperwork signed before calling her attorney to look over everything before they confirmed at said meeting in fourteen days time and shook Kim's hand again before leaving. She had hoped to have Shannon there with her, but just before they were about to leave David had tripped coming down the stairs and sprained his ankle, meaning he'd been unable to drive himself to work for a very important meeting he had to attend. So Shannon had offered to drive him there and then take his BMW back home, insisting he would collect him later if Meryl couldn't.

And after that was done she drove home armed with a load of pictures she'd taken to show to Shannon, hoping that her instant decision to buy the place wouldn't be met by any objection from him, although she couldn't see how he would since it was the very thing they were looking for. Something spacious without being too big, with garden access for Dragon, Hela and Oz, who would be arriving up there in two weeks time with the rest of Shannon's necessaries.

'Jesus! Does it actually look that big in reality or is it just your clever photography skills?' he said as they sat in the lounge and drank coffee, looking over the pics on Meryl's PC in the corner.

'I did well didn't I?' she replied as he kissed her cheek.

'You did baby, it's perfect' he said, clicking the next picture and looking at the grey slate decorated bathroom.

'And easy enough for me to get about in my chair if tomorrow doesn't go smoothly' she said, with much apprehension in her voice. Not even all the positive thinking in the world could calm her fears over that one, that she might wake up and not be able to feel anything from the waist down.

'Here's hoping it doesn't come to that' said Shannon, rubbing her thigh affectionately as he continued to look at the photographs. Once they were done viewing the pictures of what would be their new home for the time being (she still intended to move to North Carolina once her treatment was done) they decided to grab an early lunch before heading off for a day of activities Keri had planned, namely everything she wouldn't be able to do if her operation didn't go as the doctors were planning.

They started by going snowboarding for a couple of hours, having fun falling over (more Shannon than Keri) doing jumps and generally enjoying themselves on the slopes before they headed back out of the mountains for the next thing on her list. Walking around the woods taking photographs, which was something she knew she'd probably not be able to manage if she was confined to a chair. Looking at the thick carpet of branches, tree roots and foliage lining the forest floor Keri knew getting through that in a wheelchair would be impossible, as well as her other favourite thing to do whilst in the woods with a camera; climbing trees to take better shots.

'Wow, I got the best view in the whole forest from down here' said Shannon as he stood under the branch Keri was sat astride, the fact she was wearing a skirt not hampering her at all in her choice to climb up there.

'Shut up you cheeky fucker!' she said, laughing as she set her lens and began to click at the beautiful scenery.

'I can't help it, my woman has the finest ass in the whole of Alaska and I like looking at it' he replied, winking at her while she shook her head.

'Well you'll be looking at it a hell of a lot more later so never fear' said Keri. Of course one of the things on her list was enjoying an energetic sex session with her husband, which was just what she did as soon as they arrived home and for the hour there was before her mom and David arrived home, and then carried on but obviously kept the noise right down.

'There, I think that's a lifetimes worth of me being on top of you all worked out now' panted Keri as their bodies had just shuddered to orgasm a couple of hours later. She'd been glad her mother and David had only come home to get changed before going out to dinner and to see a play at the small local theatre, giving her and Shannon the house to themselves.

'There's not much I can say other than agree to that angel!' he laughed, as usual completely exhausted. She was probably the only woman he'd ever bedded who had about ten times the sexual energy he had, something he couldn't deny he'd miss if her operation did leave her immobile. And that was the only thought he had on it that affected him, the rest of his thoughts were firmly with her and how she'd cope with it if that was to happen, which they discussed as they lay next to each other.

'I'll just have to get used to it like anything else, and like everyone else whose ever lost the use of their legs has had to as well. There's no fucking point in me sitting here crying and feeling sorry for myself, but I am scared, really damn scared' she said, resting her head on his chest and feeling his hand stroking her hair.

'I don't think I've met anyone braver than you before you know, to just have the attitude you do towards something so tremendous' he replied, genuinely amazed at his wife's strength.

'If I don't I know I'll fall apart, and that's something I just cannot allow to happen. Like that lady Penny told me in Vegas, if I have faith I can overcome anything, even all of this' she replied, stroking her hand idly up and down his chest.

'And that outlook makes me so proud of you I can't even put it into words, just know before I go to sleep tonight I'll be praying those doctors can do what they gotta do without completely dismantling you' he said with a small smile she was quick to return.

'That makes two of us baby' she said, leaning up to kiss his cheek. And that's all they could do, just keep faith that things would turn out okay.

At 4pm the next day Keri was sat in a hospital bed waiting to be taken down to see the anaesthetist who would put her to sleep for her operation, and the nerves she felt only continued to build as she sat holding Shannon's hand, her own quivering.

'If I could be by your side at the operating table you know I would don't you?' he said, stroking her soft little hand with his thumb, re sealing the piece of tape that was covering her wedding band that of course she hadn't wanted to remove with the rest of her jewellery, so the nurse had simply taped it over to keep it covered.

'Yeah, I do' she said with a weak smile. She'd got to the stage now where she actually, despite her nerves, couldn't wait for them to come and fetch her to go down to theatre. She just wanted it over with, to plan her next step with or without the use of her legs and not have it hanging over her like a knife attached to a fine thread of cotton, waiting to fall at any moment. And just at that moment the door opened and in came the nurse and hospital porter along with her doctor who would be performing the surgery, going through all the last minute questions she had before letting her give Shannon a kiss before wheeling her out of her private room and down to the bowels of the hospital, where the operating theatres were.

'I'll be here when you wake up, I love you' Shannon said to her, kissing her one last time before they wheeled her bed into the huge elevator.

'I love you too handsome' she called back before the porter pressed the button and the doors slid shut, leaving Meryl and Shannon stood arm in arm for a few moments before they walked back up to her room.

'And now we wait' she said simply as she was hugged a little tighter by her son in law.

'If there's one thing we bear in mind today team it's that this young woman has a whole life ahead of her to lead, and we want her to lead that life on both legs. Let's do all we can to make that happen. Okay then, let's open up Mrs Moore and see what's waiting for us shall we?' said Doctor Gray as he was passed a scalpel, making the first careful incision into the skin covering her spine. And doing all he could was just what Doctor Gray did in the two hours Keri was in surgery for. After which she was taken into the recovery room where her mother and Shannon were waiting for her, a further half an hour passing before she began to come round.

And even through the bleary feeling she had when she realized she was awake the only thing Keri could think was 'did it work?' through her haziness, but knew at least something was okay; she could feel Shannon's hand rested on her leg, and after opening her eyes a little she wiggled her toes, and relief poured through her like a dam bursting. The talented Doctor Gray had saved her spine.

'Hey gorgeous' he said, moving to kiss her cheek at the same time Meryl leaned forward to do the same on the other side of the bed.

'Hey' she croaked, still very woozy from the anaesthetic.

'I don't know how much of this you'll be able to take on board sweetie but they got the lump out almost in its entirety. What's left over they think can be killed off by the chemo, and since you've just wiggled your toes about I think you know that wonderful, wonderful man who operated on you didn't have to cut your spine either' said Meryl, who had been so overjoyed at Doctor Gray's news after the operation she'd thrown her arms around him and kissed his cheek, making him a little embarrassed but at the same time pleased his work had brought the family some good news.

'I'm really glad' she said, her eyelids fluttering closed again.

'She might be a little groggy for a while yet while she comes round, it'll start wearing off more as the hour goes on' said the nurse who had come to check Keri over briefly, who then opened her eyes again only to close them a few moments later. She spent the next ten minutes doing the same before feeling awake and with it enough to keep them open, the nurse coming back to lift her bed up at the head so she could be sat upright without actually moving her body as such.

'Stupid and clichéd the question might be, but how do you feel?' asked Meryl after holding a cup of water for her daughter to take a few gulps. After being nil by mouth before her operation she was understandably very thirsty.

'Not bad actually, it feels sore but I suppose this thing sticking out of my hand is helping with that' she said, referring to the line of painkillers going in through the back of her hand. 'And to be honest other than that I feel great, I really do. I can still feel my legs for one thing, and also it just feels good to have one thing out of the way too' she said, giving Shannon's arm a tug in indication she wanted a gentle hug.

Shortly after she was visited by Doctor Gray, who reiterated to her the successful nature of the operation and went on to explain all her aftercare and resting period in the wake of her surgery. Luckily since the incision had been so small and surgery relatively non invasive he predicted she'd be back on her feet with minimal pain or immobility within a week but just had to take things very easy. No excessive exercise or activity and no driving for two weeks were the main points he made.

And once he was gone and the patient visiting hours were over Keri lay in her bed and used the time on her own to sit and think, and really take stock. Just this time two weeks ago she'd been lying silently in Shannon's arms, too shocked and upset to speak. And then she thought back further into the distance of her life, and remembered that this time last year she hadn't even met the man she was now married to. She'd just been Keri Watkins, recently single after splitting with her boyfriend of two years two months previously, enjoying studying visual communications and thinking her life would be the thing that changed only when she wanted it to. How wrong she was.

But, apart from one major issue, the very thing that lead her to be lying in a hospital bed right at that moment, every change to happen had been a good one. And all for one reason, the man she'd married. It still made her mind boggle, how they'd just ran off and got married, theirs really was a story like you'd read in a book. Meeting through dreams and then marrying each other before the year was out, but also it was just life; life was a strange and bizarre experience and the weirdest things could happen to anyone. No one ever said fate was simple, yet the run of their romance so far had been just that. Even though it was far from simple being in a relationship that stretched over 3,000 and more miles, being with each other had been. They were a perfect match, and to use the word yet again it was that simple.
But now Keri understood was where life got hard. Here came her big test.

This is exactly how she now saw her cancer, not a cruel twist of fate for god to take her in the same way he'd taken her father, not anything but a test she had to endure and make it through. It was going to be hard, but she had to go through it to know just how good she had it, how much worse things could be. And if she didn't make it through, despite every drop strength and determination she would throw at the cancer, then at least she would die happy. Do all the things she wanted to do with her life no, but leave it knowing she was the happiest she was ever going to get was something she'd consider a comfort if that day came sooner rather than later.

'But it'll be later, when I'm old and grey and I've seen the world and told my grandkids all about it' she then said out loud, turning gently in her bed to lie on her side carefully and look out into the starry night sky after twirling the nearby stick to open the blinds. She wanted to live to see many more of those too, especially the shooting star she'd just seen streak through the sky. Of course she wished on it, but to tell would mean it wouldn't come true. Not that you couldn't guess Keri's wish anyway.

Is anyone out there still actually reading this? Reveiws would be nice to see :)