Of Princes and Princesses

AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Hello there my wonderful readers. Are you ready for some drama to go down? Cause I know I am! The next couple of chapters are going to be rife with drama but I promise it will end well. As always don't forget to leave a review and I'll see you guys next week!

25.

Marshall knew, before going out into the waiting room, that this procedure was going to take a while, and afterwards Kate was going to need to recuperate and rest. He also knew, if he went right in afterwards, he'd be in that hospital bed hugging her so tightly she wouldn't be able to get any rest at all.

For a while Marshall paced because he couldn't sit in that chair. When he noticed that the pacing was worrying everyone else, he went to the cafeteria for coffee, but that made the jittery nerves worse. So, he wandered the halls and by sheer utter dumb luck he came across Paris Carter's room.

Like literally, he hadn't meant to go looking but… there he was. Just outside her room.

He knew it was the right room because he was there, Oliver James, Kate's father, with some woman with silky black hair and pair of big knockers. Everything she wore was expensive, probably worth more than the rent on their apartment. They were standing with Dr. Fielding, as he no doubt went over everything. He better have kept Kate's identity a secret, she didn't want her dad to find out that she was there, come and gloat about how she was finally doing the right thing.

Marshall crept away. That should have been it, but he couldn't help but go back. He wanted someone to know what it was that Oliver had done in the name of his favourite child. He had a feeling the new wife wouldn't care but he knew someone who would probably be horrified.

Luckily when he went back, he found that Paris had been left alone, no doubt to be prepped for the new marrow but a nurse hadn't come in yet. So, Marshall let himself into the room.

He smiled warmly at Paris. Damn the similarities between she and Kate were noticeable. He wished they weren't. But they had the same eyes, the same nose, the same lips, she was almost a mirror copy of her, except the hair was a different color and she seemed paler and daintier.

But that could have been the age and illness.

She stared up at him with Kate's eyes, eyes she clearly had gotten from her father, and a question on her lips.

"I'm sorry, yew uh… yew donni know me but uh… I hear you're about tae get a marrow transplant?"

Paris' eyebrows furrowed with confusion. "Yes… I am, an anonymous donation matched me… it's really rare and I'm really lucky," she broke off to cough and Marshall could see exactly what this illness had done to her. The hair was likely a wig from the chemo not working, she wasn't dainty she was skeletal. She had no energy and could barely breathe.

Was this what Kevin looked like before he died? Was this what Kate watched her brother fade into?

"Who are you exactly?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Marshall, did your dah mention me from his last trip tae America?"

Paris' nose wrinkled. "No."

"No? So… he didni mention that he tried tae kidnap Kate tae make her donate fer yew? That when she wouldni go with him, when I defended her tae him, he threatened tae throw me in jail?"

Paris' eyes widened. No of course her father hadn't told her that, why would he? But there seemed to be a smile on her face, as if the idea of her sister being around was a good thing.

"You… you know Katie?"

"Her name is Kate. Yew donni get tae call her Katie. And yes, yes I know her, I'm her boyfriend. And I love her which is more than I can say for yer sorry excuse for a father."

"I… then… why… I don't…"

"Did you know you had a half brother? Kevin? Did you know that?"

Paris shook her head.

"He was yer age when he got it. The same disease yew have. Yer dah was a match. Did yah know that?"

Once again she shook her head.

"Yeah. And do yah know what yer dah did?"

"No," she whispered, her voice tremoring.

"He chose tae stay in England wit yew. And Kevin… Kevin died. Now tell me. Why the hell should Kate give anything tae yew?"

Paris' eyes were wide, her lip trembling.

"Kevin died because yew were worth more tae yer father than his own son. So what is it about yew that makes yew so special huh? Why was yer life worth more than Kevin's? More than Kate's?"

"I… I don't know."

"Yeah, neither do I," he told her even though he knew it was cruel. It's not her fault that her father chose to let his son die but save her. "You're about tae get a second chance, a chance that Kevin never got tae take. So, make it count. For his sake."

Paris stared at him, tears streaming down her face. He left her there, left her with the knowledge of what her father had done to her half siblings and hoped to god that someone finally held Oliver James accountable for the destruction and pain he had caused.

-AR-AR-AR-AR-

Kate woke up to Marshall asleep beside her in the small hospital bed. He was on his side, an arm slung over her torso to keep her beside him, his nose in her hair. Kate was tired, her back hurt all the way from her stomach to her shoulder blades, but having Marshall beside her made her feel better.

She knew for a fact that he was breaking all sorts of hospital protocol and procedures right now, but until the nurse came in to scold them, he was going to stay right where he was.

"I knew the second she said an Irish man named Marshall came to yell at her that you had to be the donor."

Kate jerked, turning to her other side where she found her father sitting across from her.

"He's a deep sleeper that boyfriend of yours. Nurses say he's very doting and caring, they're all very impressed."

The acid behind his words told her all she needed to know about how he felt about her boyfriend, but she didn't care about that. Why the hell was he here? Did he say that Marshall had gone and talked to Paris? Why would he do that?

"She hates me now. I hope you're happy."

What? Why… why would that make her happy?

"He told her about Kevin. About how I refused to help him, and how he died. But that wasn't my fault, I didn't know I was a match. That's the difference. You knew you were a match and you were going to let her die anyway."

That's true. To his credit he never did go to get tested. He just refused to make contact, refused to be a father. Yes, she had decided not to donate but that was because he hadn't even bothered to be kind of enough to test himself.

"My daughter won't even look me in the eye. Says she'll never forgive me for letting him die when I could have helped. Says I'm a coward and a selfish pig. But you're the one who's selfish. You. You who couldn't even let me have my family, the perfect family I wanted and deserved."

It hurt, it hurt to hear that her family had been the mistake. It hurt to hear her father talk about her like that, even if it was partially true. But unlike him, she had tried to make it right. She had donated her marrow before it was too late. Her father wasn't going to have to watch Paris waste away to nothing like she had to watch with Kevin.

She must have been shaking, or maybe Oliver's voice was too loud, for beside her Marshall began to move and moan. "What's wrong? Am I hurting yew?"

She said nothing but despite that he got up. He stretched a bit and finally opened his eyes which were bleary and confused. But the second they narrowed in on her father, now ramrod straight in his chair they were clear. He turned to look at Kate's red face and tearful eyes and then he turned his rage filled gaze up to her father who was already getting up.

Marshall was quicker and got out of the bed and in front of the door before her father could escape.

"What did you say tae her, yah fucking wanker!" he shouted. But he didn't give her father a chance to answer. "You got what you wanted. Your favourite daughter's going tae live now, what could you have to possibly be fucking mad about now?"

"Yes, my daughter will live. But she hates me now thanks to you. Telling her those lies about Kevin…"

"No. Not lies. Your son died because yew were a selfish self-serving bastard and she deserved tae know why she didni deserve an ounce of anything Kate donated today!"

"You had no right to take my family…"

"You don't deserve a family. You let your own flesh and blood die because money was more important to you. So now Paris knows exactly what you are. That's what you're mad about. Not that I told her, it's that she knows what you are. A disgusting excuse for a father."

"Oh yeah, money's more important to me? Let's be clear here, Kate's here because I offered her money, a lot of it."

He had?

"I emailed her a week ago and she suddenly shows up. Yeah. So here you go," he slapped an envelope into Marshall's hand. "There's your damn blood money. May I suggest you save it for his bail!"

"I didn't do this for money! I didn't even want the credit!" she cried and her father stopped pushing past Marshall. "I told that doctor to not tell you I was here. If I wanted that money don't you think I would have announced to the world I was here?"

"Then he wanted the money!"

"He didn't know about the email, I didn't even know about the email. All your emails go to the junk folder you idiot! If I didn't read it, he didn't."

"It's true, had no idea money was involved. I simply told Paris because I was feeling petty and a little bit like if Kate couldn't get Kevin back then you didn't deserve Paris."

Dear lord he had told her because he knew that Paris would never forgive her father. He did it so even though Kate was saving her life, her father would never truly get his favourite daughter back.

"You tell yourselves whatever it is you need to, but we all know the truth. You're just as greedy and schemey as me. In fact, you're just as disgusting as me. Good day."

He slammed the door behind himself and Marshall looked down to the envelope. He didn't bother opening it and he didn't bother offering it to her. In fact, he wouldn't even come near her.

"I… uh… I realize now that I may have… I may have completely fucked up…"

Kate couldn't help it, couldn't hold it in anymore, she just put her head in her hands and started to sob.