Nausea. Vomiting. Intensifying headaches. Numbness in his fingers and toes. Blurry vision and increasing fatigue.

All symptoms that had been attributed to the chemo currently steamrolling through spencer's system, but symptoms that also had dave terrified that spencer had another tumor growing. No matter how many times edmonds assured his that the tests he had performed had come up clear, dave couldn't help but feel sick to his stomach.

Spencer was doing so well...they couldn't start taking downturns now.

He had deteriorated so fast in the past two weeks that it had actually frightened dave and aaron. Even after assurances not only from edmonds, but from dr connolly, the leading pediatric cancer specialist in the country, that the vincristine spencer was being given had been known to have serious neurological effects, they couldn't shake away their fear.

"is he any better?"

His husband's voice was hopeful, but dave sighed.

"he's too exhausted to wake up when he's sick. Four times now they've had to change his sheets because he's vomited on herself. They're pumping his full of fluids, steroids, formula, anti-nausea, anything that might combat all these symptoms he's having, but none of it is doing much for anything. I think we've finally hit that really bad stage of chemo that edmonds warned us about," he explained.

"i know it doesn't feel like it right now, dave, but spencer is going to beat this. He's a fighter, and he's not going down without a hell of a battle. Sounds like all he's doing now is giving the chemo and the cancer a false sense of security"

Dave managed a laugh. "oh, that would be spencer"

"it would"

Sighing again, he leaned against the phone booth. "i just...i need him to start improving. Because...i can't entertain the thought of losing him. It's too painful, aaron"

"i know honey. It hurts for me too. It hurts that spencer got dealt this so young honestly. But i really do believe he's going to win. He's spencer. He can't not win"

Smiling, dave cradled the phone tightly. "i love you, you know that?"

Aaron laughed. "i know. I love you too. Now go on. Go be the super dad that you are"

His compliment touched his heart, making his smile wider. "ok. I'll talk to you soon"

"bye dave"

"bye," he said softly, hanging up the phone and taking a deep breath. He ran a hand through his hair, grimacing as he did. It needed a wash. He felt like it had been weeks since he washed his hair, despite only washing it the day before spencer's chemo had begun.

Little things like that got so hard to maintain when all that was on his mind was spencer.

"dave?"

Recognising the voice of one of spencer's favourite nurses, lizzie, dave turned towards the open hallway.

"hey lizzie," hesaid with a smile, approaching the young woman.

"i've just come from checking in on spencer. I think he's finally starting to lift a little. He was awake and talking to me while i was in there," lizzie said warmly.

Dave heaved a sigh of relief, the relief itself clear on his face straightaway. "that's brilliant, lizzie, thank you"

Lizzie smiled. "you've definitely got a fighter there dave. I know he's just a little boy...but he's a strong kid, and he's doing amazingly"

Nodding, dave smiled weakly. "heis pretty amazing to me"

Lizzie grinned. "good"

"i'll see you on your next rounds then?" dave asked.

"of course. And as always, just come and get me if you need anything. You know where to find me," lizzie said, placing a comforting hand on dave's arm before moving away to the next occupied room.

Heading back to spencer's room, dave was happy to find that spencer was still mostly awake.

"nice to see you awake before midday. Is this what it's going to be like when you're older?" he teased, closing the distance between the door and the edge of spencer's bed.

"ha ha," spencer said dryly, making his dad laugh.

"you feeling any better?" dave asked hopefully, crossing his fingers that the anti-nausea had kicked in and would help spencer to get some proper rest.

"kind of. My stomach feels a little better...but my head still really hurts," spencer replied, shuffling over in his bed slightly so that dave could join him.

Taking the now vacant space, dave lay down and gently pulled spencer into his arms. "i think the headaches are just a thing we're going to have to live with for as long as you're having chemo"

"they really hurt," spencer whimpered.

Tears cresting his eyes at the vulnerability in spencer's voice, dave swallowed thickly, kissing the top of spencer's head.

"i know baby...i know"