Author's Note: I'm getting anxious. *wiggles eyebrows at dshell suggestively*

The next few weeks were the hardest for Edd. The paramedics that had responded to Kevin's 911 call were his instructors who now deemed him too unstable to continue his EMT training. It was a crushing blow to the young man, but he understood where they were coming from. How was Edd supposed to save other lives when he could collapse at any moment? However, the bright side was that he was more than welcome to pick up where he left off when he got better, however long that might take.

Kevin had managed to call Edd once in the two months that he had been gone already. The line was terrible as Kevin mentioned something about his base having terrible connection, and something else about an e-mail which Edd had yet to see. The raven didn't care though. That one five minute static phone call where he could actually hear fragments of Kevin's sentences was still music to his ears.

At the moment, Kevin was stationed at a base near a small town where there had been a lot of bombings. The soldier adjusted his heavy gear as he walked down the unpaved street with his gun. He always felt so bad when he scared the little kids while he was on patrol, but he would sometimes kneel down to their level and give them a piece of candy he managed to sneak away with him. The mothers never said anything when he did this, but Kevin thought they appreciated it by the tiny sparkle in their eyes.

"So how's it goin' over here?"

Kevin turned his gaze to the smaller woman next to him. "It's too damn hot, like usual."

She giggled and nudged him with her elbow. "Ah, grow a set. It's fine, you got a breeze."

The red-head threw a mock glare at the woman as she continued to laugh. Her name was Naomi. A short, dark skinned woman with tight ebony curls pouring out from underneath the back of her helmet. She was from another squadron that came to help secure the town, and one if Kevin's first friends in the military. They had met on the plane after he was finished with his three day leave two months ago, and as it turns out she lived in Lemon Brook. It was really a small world sometimes.

...

Eddy stood over his friend with a questioning gaze. "Is that what you came over for?" he asked with a cocked eyebrow and the ravenette merely shrugged with a guilty smirk.

"What? You're not happy to spend time with me anymore? I'm hurt..."

The shortest Ed sighed and scratched the back of his head. "No, I like hangin' out with ya Sockhead. I just- I didn't think we'd be doing this of all things."

Edd took a glance at the shears in his friend's hand. "I'd rather take it myself. It's better that way, plus I can't do it myself. My hands are to shaky." he said as he blinked up at his best friend from the chair he was reclining in. Lee walked into the room with a couple of sodas and a water for Edd and gave the boys a smile.

"What're you guys up to? You finally gettin' a haircut Babe?" she asked as she handed Edd his water with a smirk.

Eddy laughed and shook his head. "Not today Lee, it's D's turn." he said as he clicked the shears on and waved it around. Lee's eyebrows scrunched up as she looked between the two boys.

"Why?"

Edd shrugged again nonchalantly. "It's finally starting to fall out, might as just get rid of all of it now."

"What? Why? Are ya sick or somethin'?" the woman asked as she stepped closer to the boys. Eddy merely sighed as he pulled off Edd's hat to let the mop of inky hair fall onto the back of the reclined chair. He briefly looked at the chunk of hair that fell to the floor and frowned.

"Or something." Edd mumbled as he felt Eddy get to work, starting at the far right of his head by his ear. The cool air felt strange against his bare scalp. "Thank you again for doing this Eddy."

"It's no prob D, I'm just honored you asked me. Just promise that if you need help to ask me alright? I'm really not feelin' up to finding your body crushed under the fridge because you couldn't reach the ice."

Edd scoffed and crossed his arms. "That fridge is abnormally tall, that's why I always get the ladder if I need something."

Eddy laughed a little and shaved off another lock of his friend's hair while Lee kept looking between her boyfriend and his best friend with her confusion growing at a steady rate. "Woah, woah. Did I miss somethin'? I'm lost."

"He's sick Lee. D's...ugh." Eddy stopped and rubbed his eyes quickly. "S-sorry. Got some hair in my eyes."

Edd rolled his eyes at Eddy's bravado. "I have cancer Lee. I'm sick."

The woman paled at the news as she finally took in her teary-eyed boyfriend and the all-to-thin boy before her. "Oh, I'm-I'm so sorry Edd. When did you find out?"

"It's been a long time Lee, but let's not dwell on the subject." Edd said as he felt Eddy give his bald head a pat to signal that he was done. Edd sat up slowly and shook out his hat before placing it back on his head. "Let's watch some movies shall we?"

...

Kevin sat in the mess hall and tried to stomach his dinner; he would kill for a steak right about now. His new friends named Don and Jackson sat with him as they all chattered on about something exciting that had happened to them that day. The other two boys were fresh out of high school as well so Kevin didn't feel as out of place as he did with the more experienced men in their squad.

"What about you Kev?" Don asked as he shoved something akin to roast beef into his mouth.

Kevin swallowed whatever he was chewing quickly and looked over at the man. "What about me what?"

Jackson chuckled and put a hand over his face as he peered at Don. "Gotta sweetheart back home?"

"Er, yeah. I do." the red-head said as he rested his chin in his hand, his thoughts drifting towards Edd. It hurt sometimes Kevin missed him so much. Was he okay? He didn't know. There was little to no connection anywhere as far as he knew and it killed him. How long could he keep up the brave face before shattering to pieces under the immense guilt that he still held on to for leaving his sick fiance behind?

"What's her name then?" Don asked as he chomped down on his fork.

"Eddward." Kevin said as he rubbed his eyes and Don nearly spit out his food. "Problem?"

"Nah, I think ya just startled him. We're cool, don't worry bro." Jackson said as he patted his friend on the back. "So tell us a little bit about this Edd of yours."

"He's a huge dork."

Don's face twisted up as he recovered. "Well that's...touching."

"Well, he was the smartest kid in the county back in high school, so yeah. He's a dork. But..."

Jackson smiled and brushed his hand along the mandatory buzz. "But he's your dork, right?"

"Yeah, it's funny though. I used to beat the shit out of him and his friends when we were younger and now we're gonna get married when I'm through here. Time flies, man." Kevin mused as he closed his eyes, picturing his hands resting on Edd's curved hips and the silky feel of his black hair running through his fingers. Playing with Edd's untamed hair was one of Kevin's favorite past times.

"Damn. How long's it been for you two?"

Kevin sighed and tapped his fingers on the wooden table as he thought. "Our one year anniversary was two weeks ago. I tried to call him but the line was shitty." he said and felt terribly lovesick at that moment. "Listen, I think I'm gonna split for the night. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"O four-hundred Kev! I'll kick yer ass if you sleep in!" Don hollered as the two men watched their fellow soldier walk back to his bunk slowly.

...

Edd tossed and turned in his bed as a his stomach cramped painfully. It was like reliving his incident with Jarad all those months ago when his stomach was torn open. The pain was terrible. This however, was simply another side effect of the chemo. They had been hitting him rather hard lately with the muscle pain, weight loss, vomiting, and the mouth sores. God, the mouth sores. Edd detested them with all his being as they were so painful! While his meticulous dental hygiene kept the nasty fuckers at bay, they were still ever present.

A few stray tears slipped down his pale cheeks as another painful wave came crashing in on him. "God," he whimpered and hugged himself tighter, wishing it was a certain red-head that was holding him instead of himself. Kevin would have helped him through the pain or rubbed his back as he threw up. It was supposed to be Kevin's job to look out for him, yet he wasn't there. But all Edd's friends from the cul-de-sac, his EMT buddies, favorite nurses, and even Veronica from the tattoo parlor had offered him their help if and when Edd needed it and it touched the young man to no end.

All those people, even the ones that were hours away would drop everything to lend a helping hand but Edd was determined to live as independently for as long as possible.

All he needed to know was where to draw the line.