April 5th - 6:00 pm - Guy's night out
"Are you sure you're okay to be going out?" Pidge asked. Lance pulled on his hoodie a sigh escaping his lips as the hoodie slipped past his chin. He crossed the room to the couch. Pidge was resting her arms on the back of the couch, her legs on the seat as she kneeled backwards on it. He placed a kiss against her forehead.
"I told you. I'm feeling fine." Lance replied. "Just a little tired is all."
Pidge caught his hand as he went to pull away. "You've just looked really pale today, and I'm worried." Giving his hand a squeeze, Lance responded by pulling her into a hug.
"I promise you I'll be fine. I have Keith, Shiro, and Matt with me. I'll return home tonight." Lance whispered in her ear.
"Promise?" Pidge asked. She was doing her best to hide the fear in her voice.
"I promise."
April 5th - 8:00 pm - Guy's Night out - At a bar
After dinner, Keith,Shiro, Lance, and Matt made there way to a bar for a few drinks. The amount of people inside was shocking for the time it was. Fortunately they were able to snag a table back in the corner somewhat far enough away from the throng of people dancing on the dance floor.
Keith opened his beer and took a sip, "Lance are you good?"
Matt and shiro turned to look at Lance who had his head in hands, but when he heard his name he looked up. He waved a hand in dismissal.
"Oh yeah I'm fine." He paused, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I-I just got a headache."
"Do we need to go somewhere else?" Shiro asked, pushing his drink to the side.
"No. No." Lance rose from his seat stumbling a little as he moved away from the table. "I think I'm just going to get some air."
"Let me come with you." Matt rose. "My sister would kill me if she knew I let something happen to you."
"It's okay. I just need a minute. I'll be back." Lance insisted.
Outside the bar the cool air hit Lance's face and he nearly collapsed in relief. There were so many people inside, and the pulsing music wasn't helping. Lance groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose again. When he opened his eyes he was hit with a wave of nausea. He pressed his back up against the wall for stability, the rough brick wall grounding him when his head started to spin.
April 5th - 8:10 pm - Guy's night out - In the bar
"Keith! There's no way that happened!" Matt said. Disbelief in his tone.
"It did." Keith replied before finishing off his first beer. Both Matt and Shiro chuckled at Keith's story, only Keith wasn't laughing. "Have either of you seen Lance come back?" He asked, glancing around the bar.
Matt shared a worried look with Shiro. "Uh no we haven't."
Keith rose from his seat. "I'm going to go check on him. He might still be outside."
April 5th - 8:15 pm Guy's night out - Outside the bar
The door shut behind Keith muffling the music inside. With cars driving by and the breeze rustling through the leaves it was almost peaceful.
"Lance?" Keith called, "You out here buddy?" Keith didn't get a response; however, he did see a familiar black and blue hoodie in the corner of his vision. Turning he found Lance on his back and head tilted to the side.
Keith was immediately at his side checking for a pulse. "Lance! Talk to me!" Keith tapped his face a few times hoping to wake him up that way. Behind him the door opened once more and Shiro and Matt were out on the sidewalk. Shiro immediately had his phone out and 9-1-1 dialed.
"Damn it. Lance, come on, wake up!" Keith grumbled. He checked for a pulse to make sure he was still breathing. He turned to look over his shoulder.
"Ambulance is on their way." Shiro called.
"Matt, call Pidge. Tell her to meet us at the hospital!" Keith said before turning his attention back to Lance.
Matt dialed his sister, heart racing. "Come on, come on." He mumbled. "Pick up Pidge!" The phone continued to ring unanswered before finally going to voicemail.
Hi! This is Katie Holt, couldn't reach the phone at the moment but I'll give you a call when I get the chance!
"Damn it!" Matt said. He hung up while pulling his car keys out of his pocket. "You two ride with Lance to the hospital. I'll go get Pidge and meet you guys there."
April 5th - 8:50pm - Lance and Pidge's apartment
Pidge had just gotten out of the shower when she heard the incessant pounding on her door. "What the hell?" She asked, wrapping a towel around herself. Not bothering with taking the time to put clothes on she walked to the door and jerked it open a curse or two on her lips to whoever decided it was a good idea to bother her.
"I swear-" anything she had planned to say left her mouth when she saw Matt panting in the doorway after running up three flights of stairs. She gripped the towel tighter around herself as she felt her heart drop. "Matt, what is it?"
"It's Lance." He said, pushing his way into the apartment.
Pidge froze and she could feel all the blood leaving her face. "W-what happened?" She asked as she followed Matt into her bedroom.
"We just need to get to the hospital. Now." He started opening drawers. He tossed underwear, sweatpants, a t-shirt, and a hoodie onto the bed. "Get dressed. I'll be waiting out in the car." Then he was gone.
With her heart pounding in her throat Pidge quickly got dressed and ran her fingers through her hair as she grabbed her phone and keys. Locking up the apartment, she sprinted down the stairs and jumped into the passenger seat of Matt's waiting car. He waited until she was buckled before taking off.
It was silent the first few minutes as they drove to the hospital, until Pidge voiced her unanswered question from before.
"Matt, what happened?" She asked. The firmness in her voice did nothing to hide the tears that were threatening to spill.
Matt adjusted his grip on the steering wheel as he prepared to tell his baby sister what had happened with her fiancé. "We went to a bar after dinner shortly after arriving. Lance was complaining of a headache and stepped outside to get some fresh air. Ten minutes go by and we haven't seen him so Keith goes to check on him. Keith found him passed out on the sidewalk, he was still breathing, but we don't know what caused him to pass out."
"Oh god." Pidge's voice shook as she leaned forward to put her head in her hands. "Oh please not today. I can't lose him today."
Matt reached over with one hand and placed it on his sister's back. "Hey, he's going to be alright. You're not going to lose him. Not today."
April 5th - 9:00 pm - Hospital
Matt didn't have a chance to throw the car in park before Pidge was out the door. She took off toward the emergency room entrance Matt close behind.
She ran right up to the desk, herself a shaking mess. "Lance McClain. Where is he?" He asked a little louder than necessary.
"Ma'am I'm going to have to ask you to take a seat." The receptionist said.
Pidge shook her head. "N-No you don't understand." Tears that had been building the entire ride over finally broke free, "I need to see my Fiancé. Lance McClain. Please."
"Ma'am. Please calm down. You can be taken back when the doctors are finished with his examination." The receptionist spoke calmly.
Pidge jumped when Matt placed his hands on her elbow and lower back to lead her over to the waiting area. She collapsed into the chair and Matt was instantly there with his arms around her as she cried.
April 5th - 10:00 pm - Hospital waiting room
It was an hour later when someone finally came to get them. Leading them down a series of halls they eventually entered a room where Shiro and Keith were already waiting. Lance was passed out in the hospital bed with an IV, and a breathing tube already hooked up to him.
Pidge was instantly at his side, her hand gripping his. Her other hand was covering her mouth to muffle her sobs. Her legs gave out and Shiro was beside her holding her up as Matt brought over a chair for her to sit in.
The doctor cleared his throat drawing everyone's attention. "There's somethings I would like to discuss with Mr. McClain when he awakes. His labs showed some…development…with his cancer."
Pidge didn't hear anything the doctor said. It hit a wall within her. The only thing she could see was Lance, unconscious, and her mind wondering if this was what it was going to be like when his time was up.
"Thank you, Doctor," Matt said, stepping in. "We'll let you know when he wakes up."
April 5th - 11:30 pm - Hospital Room 240
Pidge was passed out next to Lance's bed, her head resting just shy of his lap. Her hand was tightly clasped on his. On the other side of the bed Shiro, Keith and Matt sat. Keith was looking out the window, watching the cars drive by below. Shiro and Matt were having a wordless conversation with glances from Lance to each other.
Movement from the bed drew there attention and they were instantly up when they realized Lance was waking up. The first thing he saw was the three over by the window, but then he felt a hand wrapped around his. He glanced down to see Pidge fast asleep at his side.
"What happened?" He asked, quietly not quite ready to wake Pidge yet.
"You passed out." Matt said. "The doctor said he had something to share as well. I'll go get him."
Lance ignored his heart dropping and instead turned his attention to Pidge. He brushed his thumb against her cheek for a second before tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear. She stirred under his touch. After a moment her eyes opened. Upon seeing him her face lit up and she had him in an embrace.
The look of relief was short lived however and was quickly replaced by anger. "You told me you would be fine." She said. Her tone was freezing for all the men in the room.
"I had a headache come on and after that I don't remember what happened but Matt filled me in." Lance explained, "I couldn't help it."
Pidge's face softened and she dropped back into the chair. "You're right. You have no control over that."
"Ah, Mr. McClain. Nice to see you're awake." He glanced at Shiro, Keith, and Matt.
"It's okay you can say whatever you have to say with them in the room." Lance assured.
The doctor hesitated for a moment longer, then sighed. "Your labs came back showing that your cancer has progressed."
"Meaning?" Pidge asked. She squeezed Lance's hand.
"Meaning you may not have a year left."