(Get your tissues ready... You know who I mean lol;))
Standing on the back-deck Kate took a sip of her coffee when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist
"What's on your mind?" he rested his chin against her shoulder
"The past, the future" she placed her mug on the railing
"Kate…" he moved to stand next to her
"I didn't tell her…"
"I thought you said…"
"I know but she seemed so happy and I didn't have the heart to ruin that" she looked at him sadly
"She's going to find out eventually, if not from you then Thomas I doubt he's likely to keep this a secret"
"I can't do it to her, have her know that there's a possibility I might not be around to meet my future Grandchild"
"Kate we talked about this already, the doctor he caught it early there is still a chance" he tried to hold back his tears
"A fifty, fifty chance Mike, it can go either way"
"Kate…"
"And we won't know until this… until the treatments are over"
"Then you get the operation"
"We talked about this…" she dropped her head
"You talked, I listened" he shook his head
"Mastectomy or Chemo… those were the two options, I do not want fake breasts…"
"Having fake breasts does not make you any less of a woman Kate"
"Why can't you just accept my decision"
"I have supported you through this whole thing, from first finding the lump to the several doctor's appointments"
"Mike I didn't…"
"I was even there through your first chemo round, holding.. your… hand.." his voice cracked
"That's… that's not what I meant" she stepped forward
"You will fight this, I will fight with you" he dropped his head leaning his forehead against hers
"Cancer is cancer, I've got cancer and nobody can change that"
"Caught early it is possible to recover from this" he placed a hand on her cheek
"You don't know that" she pushed his hand off
"When have I ever let you down?" he moved his head back
"I'm not complaining Mike I've had a great life just…"
"You're not saying goodbye.."
"I will have to say it eventually…" she picked up her mug
"Not when your still here, when there's still a chance" he watched her move towards the door
"What's the point" she placed a hand on the doorframe
"Why are you giving up"
"We all have to die eventually Sailor" she turned her head slightly
"Kate…"
"I'm going to bed; I've got chemo tomorrow morning…"
"I…" he struggled with the three little words they hadn't said to one another since finding out six months ago
"I know… me too" she gave him a sad smile before disappearing inside.
Brushing his hands across his face he looked up at the stars
"Dad.."
"Squirt, what's up" he cleared his throat
"I… I heard you and Mum talking" he stopped next to him
"Just your Mother being stubborn"
"She's not giving up is she?" he picked at the loose paint on the railing
"You know what she's like the night before chemo"
"I know but.. tonight sounded different"
"Your Mother will fight this squirt, and she will be here by our side when your sister has her baby" Mike placed a hand on his shoulder
"Does Sophie know?" he turned his head to look at him
"No.. your mother was supposed to tell her today but with you sister surprising us with her own news it…"
"How's she going to take it?"
"Honestly, I have no idea Thomas… I have absolutely no idea" Mike pulled him into a side hug
"Why did it have to happen to Mum, she's never done anything bad in her life" he sniffled
"I know squirt, but these things they can happen to anyone"
"Maybe it's god's way of telling us that family is important and at times like this we need everyone around"
"Squirt…" Mike looked at him confused
"I know you want Sophie home.. especially now since she's making you a Grandpa"
"It's not that simple Squirt your sisters life it's in Darwin"
"So? Ask her to come home, you saw how Mum was when she showed up how long has it been since you've seen a smile that big on her face?"
"Months…"
"Exactly! Dad pull your finger out of your arse and tell Soph, how exactly do you think she's going to feel when she finds out you kept this a secret for six months?"
"Okay first of all watch it mister and secondly it's your Mother's news to tell not mine" Mike shrugged
"It's been six months, it could be another six before Mum decides to tell her" he sighed annoyed
"Thomas, if yours Mother had her own way no one would have known the only reason you do is because you're a sticky beak and went through her mail"
"Technically it fell on the floor" he grinned
"And technically you shouldn't have read it in the first place"
"Okay, I get what your saying just.. consider it"
"I will keep it in mind" Mike nodded
"Um… before I go to bed can I have twenty-bucks?" he bit his bottom lip
"What? Didn't you just get paid?" Mike raised an eyebrow
"Work has been a little slow they had to cut down my shifts for this week"
"You work at Coles, not some fancy restaurant" Mike dug into his back pocket and pulled out a fifty "All I've got is a fifty"
"I'm good for it I swear, besides I'm sixteen I'm too young to go back on my word"
"Yeah I know another person who used to say that too" Mike held out the fifty
"2Dads?" Thomas smirked grabbing onto the note
"I need it back by next week" Mike reluctantly let it go
"You have my word as a Navy sailors kid" he crossed his heart
"What exactly do you need it for?" Mike questioned when Thomas went to go back inside
"Date night with Chelsie, you know how women can be" he laughed
"Yes, I sure do" Mike turned back to look at the stars again,
jumping slightly when a shooting start went past he closed his eyes and made a wish.
...
Sliding into bed just after 1am Mike looked across at Kate who had her back to him, staring at the ceiling he took in a deep breath
"Kate…" he struggled
"I know I don't understand what your going through but if you just let me in… I don't want you to give up when there's a chance you could fight this" he turned his head when he felt her roll over to face him
"It's one am, are you just getting into bed?" she hugged her pillow
"I couldn't turn my brain off" he rolled on his side to face her
"I get where you're coming from I really do…"
"But?"
"You're not the one going through this Mike, the chemo, feeling nauseous everyday and for what? In the hopes it'll shrink the tumour?" she looked across at him
"But you don't know that you don't know if it won't work you're giving up without even trying"
"All I ever feel is flat and defeated…"
"It's only been three rounds"
"And I still have another four I have to get through" she sighed softly
"Kate…" he shifted sitting up and flicked on the bedside lamp,
his heart breaking when he looked back at her too see the red eyes and tear streaks down her face
"Come here" he laid back down and held out a arm, pushing her pillow aside she moved to rest her head on Mikes chest with his arm coming to wrap protectively around her back
"It's so hard…" she teared up
"I know… but we're all behind you, Thomas the old crew, your brother.."
"Sophie?" she shifted her head to look at him
"Okay so maybe not everyone but if you told her six months ago"
"So she could worry and drop everything to come home?" she placed her head against his chest again
"You have to tell her Kate, it's not fair for her to find out from someone else or you leave it too long where your hair starts to fall out"
"I will"
"Kate.."
"I promise but can we.. can we just talk about something else" she ran her hand through the hair on his chest
"Okay how about earlier.. when you said…" he paused nervously
"What?" she sensed his hesitation
"When you said.. 'what's the point' did.. did you mean it?"
"Mike.." she shifted back
"Tell me now Kate, have you already given up or are you going to fight this because if…"
"We all die eventually" she moved off the bed
"But not you, not us Kate we have a real chance here! Why can't you see that" he leant against the headboard sitting up
"Because I just don't okay! God you are so infuriating, why can't you just except what I want for a change"
"When have I ever not accepted what you want, you wanted to move to Sydney we did that" he arose off the bed "You wanted another kid we did that, you wanted to move back to bloody Cairns we did that!" he yelled
"The chemo it's not working, all I feel is weak and sick nothing is going to fix this Mike why.. why can't you understand that?"
"I am not ready to lose my wife, the mother of my children, the love of my life" he teared up
"It's for the best, saying goodbye… doing all this.."
"I'm not letting you give up"
"It's my decision"
"What happened to equals, to making the choices together?" he stepped back in surprise
"This.. this is different"
"No Kate it's not, through sickness and health means through Cancer as well you can't just push me away whenever you feel like it because your too afraid to admit you can actually win this" he moved around the bed to stand across from her
"And what if I can't? All the chemo, everything it would have been for nothing all it's going to do is just slow down the dying process"
"Are you really that shallow that you can only think about yourself?"
"Mike…"
"It isn't just you in this situation Kate, you have a family, two beautiful kids who need you.. you have me"
"I'm scared…" she looked up at him with tears in her eyes, stepping forward Mike placed his hands on either side of her face
"Don't give up on this, I'll be holding your hand the entire way through this you won't have to fight this alone"
"I…" she placed her hands against his chest
"Kate, I love you, the kids they need you" he looked down at her when a tear fell down her cheek and ran against his hand
"I will fight this…" she slid her hand up placing it against the side of his neck
"Please don't leave me" a tear fell down his own cheek
"I love you.." she angled her head up as he lowered his their lips met in the first emotional kiss they had shared in months,
moving his hands off her face he ran them across her back and hoisted her into his arms before slowly lowering her onto the bed he hovered above her
"I need you" he pulled back from kiss
"I'm here" she brushed the tears off his face,
lifting her head off the mattress she met his lips in a slow kiss both of them making emotional and passionate love for the first time in six months since learning about Kate's cancer.
(So no matter how much I'm thinking of ending this story I just can't seem to do it.. There will be a few more chapter area this scenerio and then a last flash forward so enjoy Xx)
