Chapter 22

If there was anything that Lily can take from the battle with cancer, it was that she can no longer stand Wednesday mornings.

It's on Wednesday mornings that she would have to walk through a creepy corridor, each step making her shiver from the chills those old walls were sending. It's on Wednesday mornings that she would have drugs inserted through her veins, not only burning her internally, but also making her feel sick, especially during the morning after. It's also on Wednesday mornings, where she had to go through all that with close to little sleep.

Lily doesn't understand why after four sessions of chemotherapy, she was still struggling to sleep the night before, making her body feel as if she's on edge. Even when she is taking a break from her treatment, she still has difficulty to sleep.

"What are you looking at?" she asked Iain, who kept his eye on the front cover of a book.

"Every time I looked at the front cover of this book, it sends me to sleep," Iain groaned as he handed the book over to her.

"Wait, this is the Shining," Lily looked at him, "This isn't the kind of book to send you to sleep. Not unless you want nightmares."

"You know I can't stand books," Iain glared at her, "Why do you have this anyway?"

"Sam loaned it me," Lily set the book down, "I'm glad it's not just me struggling to sleep. I really can't stand Wednesday mornings."

"Oh, Chuckles," Iain pulled her to the sofa, "I'm starting to hate them to. Just remember, this won't be for long."

Lily nodded as she rested her head to his chest, listening to the beat of his heart. She snuggled closer as she felt Iain write a message on her back with his finger. Noticing his spare hand resting on the sofa arm, she wrote each letter to her response, looking up to meet his eyes for his reaction.

Only to find his lips meeting with her own.

Sam managed to finish with the weights, feeling proud that she was able to beat yet another record, held by Iain before he took time off. She felt guilty, he was fighting the condition that could potentially kill him, and now he will be returning back to the news that he would have to work twice as hard in order to reclaim his stance as the victor of fitness. Not to mention, even when Iain returns to work, it would still be a while before his body will completely recover enough before he could manage big cases again.

"I'm not telling Iain you're smashing all his hard work," she looked to see Jan glaring at her, "That's your responsibility to disappoint him."

Sam sniggered, noticing her boss's cheeky grin on her face. Standing up, she brushed herself off.

"I was thinking of going to see them today," Sam explained, "They're at chemotherapy today, apparently, they're planning on going to the pub quiz next week."

"Apparently?" Jan asked her.

"Unless a sickness bug breaks out again," Sam muttered, "I can't believe some people were selfish enough to suggest uninviting them."

Jan knew Sam was still annoyed with Connie after the Christmas party fiasco, but then again, she doesn't know what has happened that night for Iain and Lily. No one would have expected Dixie and that Doctor who mentored Lily had arrived to visit them in their hour of need. Dixie had even told Jan that Iain and Lily made their first plan for once their treatment is over.

That is, if they beat cancer that is.

Iain had the same cancer George had. Iain had the same survival rate George had. Iain was the exact same age George was. And how did George's story end?

He left behind his wife, his young daughter and his only sister.

"You okay?" Sam asked her.

"Sorry," Jan snapped out of her train of thoughts, "It's just, Iain and Lily had a couple of visitors the night of the party. So, it was a good thing they've missed the party, otherwise, they would have missed them."

Sam was startled when she learned this. She hasn't spoken to Iain or Lily since the party, they probably thought she didn't care about the two. Sam was so focused on the things going on in her life, she didn't realise what Iain and Lily were going through with theirs. How selfish was she?

Sam looked up, noticing Ruby sitting on the bench, wiping the tears from her eyes. Something has clearly upset the young paramedic, but Sam couldn't fathom why.

"I tried sending her home," Jan sighed, noticing Sam looking at her, "She's just received some news about her cousin."

"Seriously?" Lily smirked when Cinda asked Iain about the book, "The Shining puts you to sleep?"

"Only the front cover," Iain argued with her, "And it didn't work last night."

Lily found a new ounce of respect for her patients when it comes to getting their blood pressure taken. The nurse on duty prefers using the stethoscope and pump, which made getting a reading more accurate, but would also make the procedure more uncomfortable. She glared at Iain, knowing that once the reading is over, he'll be having his. Maybe that was why he wanted the nurse to test her first.

But Lily rather she'd got it over sooner rather than later. Cinda sitting next to her, looking at her phone, was more than relieved to know that part was over for her.

"Okay Lily," she smiled, "We'll get you sorted as soon as I've seen to your fiancé. Maybe that he's next should provide comfort to you."

"Evil," Iain muttered as Lily giggled.

Lily decided against watching Iain get his vital signs checked, she didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable even further. She looked up, before smiling when she saw Cal walking to the bay, Ethan following him behind. Lily held her hand out, grabbing her phone, ready to text Ethan.

Vital signs check. I'll let the nurse tell you when she's done.

Connie rested her coffee on the counter, looking forward to being able to message her daughter, wanting her to catch up on what she has been missing. Feeling as if it's been forever since she heard her daughter's voice, Connie was able to find out what's been going on in her daughter's life.

Getting her computer out, Connie logged onto Skype, ready to see her daughter again, considering that she'll be tired having just woken up.

"Hello Mum," Connie smiled as Grace's face lit up the screen, "How are you?"

"I'm doing good Sweetheart," Connie answered, "How are you?"

"Brilliant," Grace beamed, "Things are going well. Dad and I were talking about coming to England over the summer break. I'm so excited."

"That's brilliant to hear," Connie smiled, "Your dad mentioned, you've been gaining an interest in playing the drums. Is that true?"

"Yeah," Grace proudly showed her the drumsticks, "I've started playing them in a band. Dad said it'd make a good distraction."

"You're on the phone to your mother?" Connie heard Sam in the background, "Am I okay to talk to her?"

"What brings you two here?"

When Ethan told him, he was planning on seeing Lily and Iain during chemotherapy, Cal knew the reason why was because he felt guilty over what has happened at the Christmas party. But judging by how the two were, it seemed as if they didn't care that he didn't tell them, in fact, they were more than happy to see them here.

"We just wanted to see how you were doing," Ethan mentioned, "Apparently, you're allowed a maximum of two visitors and we wanted to see how the treatment works."

"Yeah that nurse is strict," Cinda snorted.

"Ethan, Cal, this is Cinda," Lily motioned to her, "She's been helping us through the battle."

"Nice to meet you," Cinda smiled, motioning to Ethan, "You must look as if you work out regularly."

"I've got a girlfriend," Ethan commented, "But I have been doing a lot of training."

"Sam and Ethan have been training regularly," Cal smiled to Iain and Lily, "They've recently signed on to do the 10K run for the next year."

"Ethan that's amazing," Lily smiled, "I wish I could help."

"Sam's been training you hard then," Iain smirked.

"She has," Ethan sighed, "But I think Alicia may be bothered about me spending so much time with Sam."

Lily froze when she heard this. She remembered when she felt uncomfortable around Sam and Iain, feeling as if Sam was going to steal Iain from her. But then Iain admitted that he was at fault. He should have been honest with her about his history with Sam, apologising for making her feel threatened. Iain then listened to Lily explain why she felt terrified and the pair then agreed to be honest with each other, Iain even offered to stop seeing Sam outside of work, knowing it would make Lily feel uncomfortable.

To Lily's amusement, when she started to talk to Sam, she found that she had a lot in common with her. To Iain's shock, it was Lily who invited Sam to join them at the table, asking her to teach her how to play poker. If was as if the promise of being honest, allowed Lily to feel more comfortable around Sam.

Lily soon learned that it was Cal who warned Iain that he needed to remember that failing to tell Lily about his history with Sam was the main reason Lily felt uneasy around the idea of them working together.

But after getting to know Sam, Lily knew all about her interests. The things she enjoys and who often catches her eye.

Lily also knew one thing.

Sam and Ethan are not each other's type.

"Why?" Lily mentioned, "I know you, you're never one to cheat. You've also been honest with Alicia. Plus, I know you and I know Sam. I'm sorry to remind you, you're not her type and I doubt she's yours."

"Have you forgotten you've felt threatened when it was Sam and Iain?" Ethan asked her.

"Completely different," Iain shook his head, "I was at fault for that. I should have told Lily about the history; I mean she was honest with me about both you and Cal. Of course, Lily was going to feel threatened."

"Now Iain feels threatened," Lily smirked.

"Please don't tell her about the Shining," Iain groaned at her, "It's bad enough you told her I cried at the Little Mermaid."

"Be glad she's not here," Lily laughed, "I said it was a Disney film. Didn't say which one it was."

Iain's eyes widened when he realised this. He noticed Cinda, Cal and Ethan trying hard not to laugh at this, and Ethan and Cal are both spending regular time with Sam!

Which reminds him.

"What about you and Sam?" Iain asked Cal, "Any luck?"

"We've been talking a lot," Cal mentioned, "And we're going to be going for drinks after the quiz next week. By the way, you two are still coming?"

"You've just reminded me," Lily smiled, turning to Cinda, "Do you want to tag along as well? It's a good distraction."

"I'm not good with quizzes," Cinda mentioned.

"You will be with Chuckles on your team," Iain smiled, "We need a third member for our team."

"Come on Cinda," Lily beamed, "You've said it yourself; it'd be fun to be out and about."

Sam sat down with Ruby, cola in her hand to hand to her. Jan warned her not to go and talk to her, given the similar environment her cousin is into Iain and Lily's situation. But Sam knew that she wouldn't want to feel pushed away in her time of need as well, Ruby doesn't know about the situation with Iain and Lily, but she's already understanding how everyone is feeling.

"Hey," Sam sat down with her, "I've heard you've received news about your cousin."

"His cancer was more advanced than they've thought," Ruby wiped the tears from her eyes, "He's got to go in for further treatment."

"Ruby," Sam sighed, "You shouldn't be here. I could cover for you. What treatment would he be going through?"

"I need to be," Ruby insisted, "My aunt and uncle, they need all the help they can get. Luke's hours will be reduced, he may need to give up work for a while."

"Maybe, you and Luke need a distraction," Sam offered, "A group of us are planning on going to a pub quiz tomorrow next week. Why don't you come, bring Luke? It would be a nice distraction for you both."

"But wouldn't I be intruding?" Ruby asked her.

"No," Sam smiled, "Trust me. Our friends are joining us as well. It'd be nice to introduce you properly to Iain and his fiancée, Lily. In fact, you remind me of her."

When the drugs enter her veins, Lily clenches her teeth at first. It was like someone was setting fire to her blood vessels, enjoying every moment of her pain. Turning to Cinda, she was taking it in her stride. Looking at the brothers, she felt envy, they don't know how painful it feels to have a good amount of the drugs inserted through their vessels.

What's worse was that she started to feel uneasy.

"You okay?" Ethan asked her, "Do you need me to get a bucket?"

"I'm fine," Lily breathed, "It normally happens during chemo."

"It's one of us who feels it," Iain sighed, "That's why they make sure we bring anti-sickness tablets. Trouble is, they should change their name to reduce-sickness."

"They work," Cinda explained, "But not always."

Ethan and Cal looked at each other, before turning to their friends. How much did they not know about how cancer truly impact on people? They thought back to their mother, how ill she was, how many medications need she take? All this to live a normal life. But to rely on drugs, that's not normal. Not at all.

"Hello Sam," Connie greeted him over the video phone, "Is everything okay?"

"Okay as it goes," Sam sighed, "Grace has now left the room. Things have been a bit manic."

"Why?" Connie questioned, "If it's too much, Grace can always come back with me."

"Actually," Sam whispered, "I need advice regarding Grace. It's just."

Connie grew alarmed as Sam struggled to get the words out. What is going there? Why is Sam keeping something, anything from his own daughter?

"Sam?" Connie mentioned, "What's wrong?"

"It's Kieron," Sam sighed, "He's been in a car accident yesterday."

"What?"

Connie remembers Kieron, Sam's son from a previous relationship. Grace's half-brother. He'd be in his twenties now. She suddenly remembered Lily and Iain's ordeal. They're both young as well, Lily turns thirty this year and Iain has Gem to think about as well.

"You okay?" Sam asked her.

"Sorry," Connie sighed, "It's just, I'm sorry to hear about Kieron. No parent should hear that. How is he coping?"

"He's been taken to hospital, cracking jokes," Sam smiled, "But Grace had been terrified when I told her."

"How can you talk to a child about an accident?" Connie wiped a tear from her eye, "Sorry, it's hard to think about."

Connie felt conflicted, this is one thing you need to talk to a child with sensitivity. But faith doesn't care about who someone is, or how old they are, or their families. Connie wasn't even sure how Sam was coping and what method he would need to take in order to assure Grace is okay.

"I've tried to check if she is okay," Sam sighed, "But how do I talk to her about it. How can a sibling cope?"

"Grace can talk to me about her feelings," Connie reassured him, taking a deep breath, "You need to be with Kieron. Don't forget it's not easy when your child's been in an accident."

"You okay?" Sam asked her.

"It's too close to home," Connie admits, "Give Kieron my love please."

After the last of the horrible fluid stung their systems, Iain and Lily watched as the nurse checked for Cinda's vital signs. They felt sorry for anyone going through this but now the pain was becoming more bearable the more times they've been through this. It was as if this was normal now for the two of them.

They can no longer stand Wednesday mornings now.

"I'm so jealous of you two," Cinda smiled, "It's nice to have friends rally around you, not to mention you two have each other as well."

"You never mentioned your parents," Lily commented to her.

"My father left us when I was sixteen," Cinda explained, taking a deep sigh, "He refused contact, admitting he has too much going on. It crushed me; my mother was livid with him."

"You never mentioned your father before," Lily commented to her, "Or your mother."

"She wanted me to go to university," Cinda explained, "But I didn't want to go. We argued relentlessly over it."

"But it's your choice," Lily smiled.

"It was as if you were there," Cinda smiled at her, "Truth was, she told everyone I was planning on going. But after I found out, I was fuming. She said I was going to show my father what he was missing."

"He missed a lot," Iain smiled, "Look at you now; you're a bass player in a band, you're working, you've fighting a strong fight."

"Yeah," Cinda smiled, "My life is perfect. Only it'd be nice to meet someone."

"So, what's your type?" Lily asked her.

Cinda was about to answer, but Cal and Ethan walked back into the room. They made the decision to leave the room whilst the three had their observations taken, not wanting to invade the personal space. They sat back down, as the nurse moves onto someone else away from the three.

"How is everyone?" Cal smiled at the three.

"We just need the meds and then we'll be heading home," Lily answered him, "I think I'm starting to hate Wednesdays."

"So now it's Wednesdays now?" Cinda gasped, placing her hand on her chest, "It's the only day of the week you get my presence. I'm offended."

"You know, we can meet up other nights," Lily smiled at her, "We can hate Wednesdays together. I know you're not a big fan yourself."

"I could do without the drugs," Cinda commented, "You two are the only reason I enjoy Wednesdays. If only we had meetings outside the sessions."

"The quiz offer still stands," Lily smiled, "The three of us, we'd be brilliant. Plus, it'd be a chance to meet someone."

"I said too much," Cinda laughed, "But you know what? I'll take you up on that offer."

"We've been dumped?" Ethan asked, shocked in horror, "It was always you, me and Cal, Lily."

"Yeah," Iain smirked, "You three had an unfair advantage. You and Lily are too smart."

"Besides," Lily turned to Cal, "You could have another paramedic on the team. Maybe someone with a name that rhyme with."

"I know what the hint is," Cal laughed turning to Ethan, "Do you mind Ethan?"

"I don't mind," Ethan laughed, "Sam's my friend as well."

The drive home became daunting for Iain as he felt as if his body is on fire. The roads suddenly became so bumpy, he felt as if his organs were jumping up and down as well. Why did Ethan choose to drive through this road? Why did he even agree to drive when Lily and Iain admitted to booking a taxi to take them home after the session?

"Ethan please slow down," Lily pleaded, "I know you're at the speed limit, but I don't think my stomach could take anymore."

"Woah," Ethan slowed the car to a stop, before turning to Lily, "You okay? I'm sorry, I didn't realise."

Lily didn't listen to Ethan, as she pressed the seat belt button and opened the door. The moment they heard a splash of fluid, Cal and Ethan knew what had just happened.

What did Ethan do? He drove at a high speed on the bumpy road after his two friends just had chemotherapy! How stupid was he? Secretly, he wished Lily didn't have to feel the need to open the door, he'd probably deserved it.

He watched as Iain jumped out of the car to go to Lily, as she knelt next to the stone fence. Carefully, he walked out the car to see Iain stroking Lily's back as she begun to cough out the last of the vomit.

"You're alright?" Iain asked her, as he drew circles around her back.

"Sorry Ethan," Lily looked at him.

Ethan closed his eyes. He caused this to happen, he drove on the bumpy roads, he forgot that Lily was feeling ill after the chemotherapy. Here she is, apologising to him for something that he caused.

"No," Ethan answered, "It's my fault! I forgot that…"

Ethan and Cal heard another splash, as Iain quickly moved away from Lily, leaning next to her as he emptied the contents of his stomach. If Ethan didn't feel guilty before, he certainly did now. How did he forget that Iain and Lily couldn't manage the ride when it was not only fast but bumpy? Did he really think that Lily and Iain would be okay? That they will always be okay and feeling healthy as well?

Ethan found himself watching the fields of barley, swaying in the wind. He may be smart, but sometimes he can be clueless.

This isn't my best chapter, but I hope you've enjoyed it.