Of Princes and Princesses

AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Happy Saturday my wonderful readers! How is everyone doing today? I hope you guys enjoy this update, you're going to be able to see a little bit of how it's going to pan out and what she's going to do with her father's guilt cheque. Are two little love birds are about ready for another adventure, do you think? As always don't forget to leave a review and I'll see you guys next week!

26.

Kate had been so upset by what Marshall did and what her father had said that the nurses had to sedate her to get her to stop crying. That meant her recuperation was going to take even longer and she wouldn't be good to be discharged that afternoon like planned. When the drugs kicked in and she fell asleep, that time Marshall didn't wander, he stayed right beside her, literally. He was in her bed and refused to move even when the Nurses came in to remind him to do that. When she woke up again, she wasn't hungry, she felt nauseous and she had terrible back pain. She let Marshall massage it for her, even though he was certain she was mad at him. But she spent the rest of the day falling in and out of sleep and the doctor was adamant she would need to stay the rest of the night in order to feel better.

Luckily, in the morning she actually was feeling better, good enough to be discharged. She was still holding onto the envelope. He had peaked into when she was sleeping, and while it was more money than he'd ever seen in his life, it was Kate's decision on what to do with it.

Have you looked in it," she asked him. He was in the process of packing everything up while the nurses were looking over her to make sure she was actually good to be discharged.

"Yep. Seven zeroes."

"Holy shit. I should have donated earlier."

Marshall couldn't help but laugh. Yeah there was no way she would have done this for money, he knew that about his girl well enough.

"Sure," he said humouring her. "So, what would yew like tae do with it? I'm guessing yew don't want it."

She shot him a smile and that was enough of an answer. "Okay, so… do yew wanna rip it up? Burn it? I could get my hands on some matches, I'm sure we'll have some back at the hotel."

"Seems kind of foolish to throw out this money."

"Hell fucking yeah. That could have us set for years." She twitched her lips and Marshall stopped packing her overnight bag. "But yew donni wanna keep it."

She winced again. "That's silly isn't it?"

"No. That's blood money. And cashing it is gonna prove tae that asshole that yur just like him. And yur not. Yur kind and sweet and yew did this, against everyone's wishes, to be nothing like him. We all told you not to donate and you did it anyway, yur the better person here."

Kate hmmed softly and then watched the nurse as she left, taking her results to Dr. Fielding.

"Okay so I can see that you don't believe me…"

"No, no, I was just brainstorming," she said quickly before Marshall could delve even deeper into his bag of compliments. "I can't keep it, but… I'd like to do something worth while with it."

"Okay, okay. I mean… I'd keep it."

There came a knock on the door and when she looked up, she found that Dr. Fielding was there, and he was wheeling in a young girl. Kate had seen many pictures of Paris throughout the years, emailed to her, mail, and shoved into her face, demanding that she look at the perfectness that was his favourite daughter and say she wasn't going to save her.

She looked almost exactly like Kevin did. Bone thin, sagging almost translucent skin, no hair. But her eyes, her eyes were the exact same color as Kate's. She must have gotten her transfusion already, there was a pink tinge to her coloring and a smile on her face.

"Uh… Paris here, was hoping that she could thank you for…"

"No," Kate snapped before she could stop herself. "No. I wanted to stay anonymous. There was a reason for that."

Dr. Fielding's eyes slipped to Marshall who had blown the secret out of the water and she sighed.

"Marshall acted rashly. Both Marshall and I have suffered greatly under Oliver James' crusade to save you, and he lashed out. He shouldn't have and he's sorry."

"No, I'm not."

"But I don't want your thanks, I don't want to talk to you, I just want to go home and move on with my life. Preferably without any of you in it."

For a moment there was nothing but silence and then Marshall clapped his hands and said: "Well yew heard the girl. Nice tae see yew again Paris, but it is time tae go."

But Paris had the same stubborn genes that Kate had, she wheeled right on past Marshall to the other side of Kate's bed.

"I won't waste your time," she said primly. "I want to know about Kevin."

"Excuse me."

"Your boyfriend, with the anger issues, I mean I know dad deserved to get hit but I saw the damage when he came back from that last trip. He hit him pretty hard." Kate had a dark glare pinned on the younger girl that caused her to clear her throat. "Anyway, he mentioned that your reluctance was because you had a brother… who died from the same disease I have. As you can imagine I was quite surprised to find out I had a half brother, but I figured that Marshall, who, while quite a handsome specimen, probably wasn't smart enough to come up with such a lie. And it definitely explained why you wouldn't donate after testing positive. I've always thought there was more to the story than your selfish desire to hurt my father in any way possible for an impoverished upbringing that you felt you didn't deserve."

"I'd say thank yew but I'm pretty sure she just insulted me."

"She thinks you're cute but dumb, don't prove her right," Kate said offering him a hand to hold that he took immediately.

"Just mentioning Kevin's name put the fear of god into dad's eyes. I knew then that your boyfriend wasn't lying. I really did have a half-brother named Kevin. He really did have the same thing that I have. And dad let him die."

"That's not… I mean… Oliver… he never got tested. I had no idea he was even a match until the second round of testing started. The round for you I mean."

"You're a nurse. My dad told me that. He thought he might be able to take away your nursing job if he told them that you were refusing to help us. The director of your ward…"

"Yes, he mentioned Oliver's complaint. He lost his son to a cancer similar to yours and Kevin's. I also happened to be that son's favourite nurse. If it's any consolation, both me and my friends got in trouble for accessing the doctor's files without permission. It was uh… how we figured out Oliver was a match and had he just been tested Kevin might have lived."

Paris shook her head. "It's been haunting me since I found out. As have Marshall's parting words."

"Dear god what did you say to her?"

Marshall half shrugged but Paris was ready to explain. "He told me that I was getting a second chance. One that was never given to Kevin and that I should make the most out of it."

That was… shockingly mean of him. Even if it was true, that was a terrible expectation to put on a young girl.

"And I thought about it while I was getting my transfusion and… well… he's right. I don't want this to just be my second chance I want this to be Kevin's. So, I want to learn all I can about him so I can… I unno. I can live… for him…"

Kate couldn't believe what she was hearing. "And for the record, I think you should take the money my dad gave you and spend it unwisely, just to piss him off."

Kate laughed at that, she couldn't help it. "That's uh… that's a good plan," she whispered. She then cleared her throat. "And I guess… I guess I'm going to tell you about Kevin… you'll need to know what he looked like."

She only had put a hand out and Marshall went for her purse. She went into her wallet where she pulled out a picture, she kept hidden. She carefully handed it to Paris who smiled at it.

It was a picture of her and Kevin, before the illness. His smile unwavering as he hugged his big sister tightly. It was taken on their first day in San Francisco. She waited for Marshall to be sitting in the bed beside her so she could lean into him. Once she was comfortable she told her half-sister all about Kevin.

-AR-AR-AR-AR-

After Kate was done talking to Paris, Dr. Fielding told her that she was allowed to be discharged. He said she'd most likely have all sorts of side effects, the muscle pain in her back was going to linger for a few days, she was going to have waves of fatigue and dizziness and nausea, so she was expected rest.

She expected to go back to the hotel, call her best friend and promise her the story of a lifetime when she got back, then cuddle up with her boyfriend who could massage the pain in her lower back. She had a surprise lined up for Marshall but that could be done later.

Once they were done and squared away with the hospital, once they had rested a bit at the hotel, Kate woke up her gorgeous shirtless boyfriend with some well deserved and long-awaited sex, where he had to do most of the work, and gently at that because her back still hurt, before then demanding that he join her on an errand. As per usual, Marshall complied without a single complaint.

She took him to the Bank of England. Together they waited in line until she got up to the front. She slapped the cheque her father had given her onto the counter and pushed it towards the teller.

"I'd like to transfer this cheque… uhm… I'm not sure how to do this, but I'd like the cheque to go to a charity."

The teller looked over the cheque looked over the two of them and then back down to the cheque. "And you can verify that you're… Kate Axton?"

"I sure can," she said pulling out her ID and handing it over to the teller.

She looked it over and it seemed to check out. "And do you know which charity you want to give it to?"

"Yes, Cancer Research UK."

She nodded and then walked away from them to probably do just that leaving her alone with Marshall.

"Cancer Research, huh? Noble cause."

Kate nodded. "Yep and I'm gonna do it Kevin's name."

Marshall smile at her, his hand on her lower back as if sensing that she might be suffering from back pain again. She immediately pressed herself into his chest and let his arms envelope around her.

"I am so proud of yew," he whispered into her ear before pressing a kiss into her hair. Kate figured now was a good a time as any to tell him exactly what it was she had done.

"Oh, please remember that when I tell you what I've done."

She pulled her head off of Marshall chest so she could look into his confused eyes. He was stiff in her grip no doubt worried, terrified even, of what she could have possibly done now.

"I… I booked us another mini holiday."

Another holiday only a month after their anniversary holiday. Her supervisors had been livid, but she said it made no sense to go all the way to England and not stay a few days so they had allowed it.

"What do you mean?"

"Okay, don't worry about the money, I've paid for it, for the both of us. But I… I booked us a trip… to Ireland."

Marshall actually pushed her away. He pushed her away and took a step away from her. He didn't look scared or surprised, he looked angry and well… she hadn't quite expected that.

"Yew did what?" She opened her mouth to answer him but Marshall shook his head and let out a string of low wry chuckles. "Why would you do that? Why would you…"

"I want to see where you've grown up…"

"Whoa, wait, we're going to Kinsale?"

"Well, we're going to start in Dublin and go from there but yes I did hope to at least drive through Kinsale, have you point out the familiar landmarks of your childhood."

"No… no… Kate… Kate I'm not going back there, yew canni make me. There's a reason we left…"

"That's another thing, you always call me Kate…"

"Yes, that's because it's yur name, Kate."

"Yes, I know that but uh… I was thinking, about how Paris wants to use her second chance to uh… live for Kevin, right?"

"Yes, I was there for that conversation."

"Okay, well, I've been thinking about what he'd think of he saw me now. Kevin I mean. And I don't think he'd be happy."

"Aw, Kate, come on, no, he wouldni be…"

"No, no, it's true. He'd be disappointed in me. That I let this affect me this way and for so long. So I was thinking that… uh… that you could, you could start calling me Katie."

"Katie? But… Kevin called yew Katie and that why yew donni…"

"Yes I know. But I thought, I might come to like it again if it's well… you who calls me Katie."

"Can I call you Katie-cat?" There was an eagerness in his eyes that made her smile. He had completely forgotten that she booked a trip to his home town. "It's a big jump but I can't help but wanna use it. You look like a Katie-cat, and I was kinda hoping to make that your pet name, seeing as you like to call me Marshie when you're being cute."

"Yes, you can call me Katie-cat. But uh… can you use it sparingly until I get used to it."

"Of course," he said pulling her back to him and kissing her deeply. The teller came back with the new cheque but before Marshall let her go, he whispered: "We're gonni talk about Ireland later."

Kate just shot him a large smile over her shoulder as she went to collect the newly minted cheque. They may talk about Ireland but she knew they were going to go. Marshall never could say no to her.