A/N: So sorry for the lack of update. I've been drooling over Root & Shaw the past few weeks. Anyways, here's what happens next. Thanks to everyone who's still following this.
Santana Hastings: Thanks love. I love that you ship Jaria. haha
Guest: Sorry I've been lazy. Here you go.
freeminded: Aww. Thanks for your unwavering support, you idiot. I'm proud of you as well and I love you even if you are more stubborn than I am.
Fender18: That has got to be the most insane amount of back to back to back reviews I've ever gotten. Haha! Thanks for taking time to read and review. I love that you love the Sparia friendship, the jealous Emily & the Spencer/Jenna friendship thingy. I love that you've noticed Melissa here as well. I feel like she's been harshly judged a dozen times and it's time to show her better side here. Sorry if I made you cry, but at the same time it feels good to know that you did, 'coz then I know that I did something right in writing this. Chapter 14 was one of my favorite chapters to write, so thanks for appreciating that.
Guest: Here you go. Finally. lol
rebekah320: I love Sparia too. Thanks for taking time to read this.
skuichy bad: Yeah, sorry for the delay. Here you go.
Hanna couldn't stop pacing back and forth. This is bad. Really bad. Not just because they were out drinking at a party last night, but Spencer obviously got too drunk to function properly, even if she seemed to have slept thru the night without hitch. This isn't just a regular hangover. Spencer never gets sick. Hanna feels partially at fault for what's going on with Spencer right now. She was supposed to just take some water and ibuprofen as they always do when they wake up with a hangover. Why did Spencer faint? And why does Aria and Melissa seem so scared out of their wits? Somebody probably already informed Mr. and Mrs. Hastings, and the first ones that they will scold about this are Melissa and Aria, being the older sister who should've been looking after Spencer when they're not around and the other being the best friend who's always there for her and actually even stayed with Spencer last night. Hanna checked her phone for the umpteenth time to see if Emily has replied to her messages yet. She thought about rushing to the Fields' home earlier to drag Emily out of bed and into Rosewood Medical Center, but she's not sure if putting the two in the same room together would be a good idea, especially after last night. Also, she wanted to be here when Spencer wakes up. The attending doctor just left Spencer's room and headed over to Melissa and Aria. Hanna heard Melissa say that Aria's family as well, so it would be okay to let her in on the conversation regarding Spencer's condition. Hanna moved a little closer to the three, trying hard to gather as much information as she can. It wouldn't be wrong to eavesdrop a little, Hanna thought. She'll hear everything from Aria in a while anyways. Plus Hanna's really getting impatient and worried as hell.
"I've already paged Onco. Your sister's stable for now. She's just a bit dehydrated and the alcohol level in her system is quite high. She may have passed out from lack of rest and the alcohol may have interfered with the effects of her medications. How long has she been sick?" The young blonde doctor asked.
"She was diagnosed early this year." Melissa sighed and shook her head.
"I see. It would be wise to discuss the patient's history with our oncologist, Ms. Hastings. All of it." The doctor remarked.
Melissa nodded, meeting the doctor's eyes in equal seriousness. "I understand."
"Dr. Larson will see you in a while. You may see your sister now." The blonde doctor smiled politely before walking the other way.
"Oncologist?" Hanna racked her brain, trying to remember what the term means. She walked over to the nurse's station and smiled at the nurse on the desk. "Excuse me miss, can you tell me what oncologist means?"
The middle-aged nurse smiled back at her. "It's a doctor who specializes in cancer."
"Huh? Maybe you didn't hear me right. On-co-lo-gist." Hanna repeated.
"I heard you the first time. An oncologist is a doctor who treats cancer."
"No. no no no. There must be some mistake. Why would Spencer need to see an oncologist? Why – what?" Hanna's jaw dropped as she tried to comprehend what the hell is going on.
"Are you alright, miss?" The nurse asked politely.
"Hanna? Hey, are you alright?" Jenna walked over to Hanna as she caught sight of the blonde across the room. The girl looked discombobulated.
"I – I heard…That's what I heard. I couldn't be wrong. He said -" Hanna stammered.
"What are you talking about? You heard what from whom?" Jenna quirked her brow.
Hanna took a deep breath and looked Jenna straight in the eyes. "Why would Spencer need to see an oncologist?"
Jenna bit her lip and looked away. Hanna must have been listening in to the doctors. She's not supposed to find out this way. This is so fucked up.
"C'mon, let's go sit for a while." Jenna gently grabbed Hanna's arm and led her into one of the couches at the waiting area.
"Why would Spencer need to see a cancer doctor?" Hanna repeated as she walked behind Jenna. "Wait, why are you here?" Hanna asked as she took a seat beside Jenna.
"Aria called me." Jenna said lightly.
"Why would Aria call you over? Are you and Spencer -?" Hanna faced Jenna once more and was about to continue her questioning when Aria suddenly approached them.
"Hey. Spencer's awake." The smaller brunette said with a sad smile. "Thank you for coming Jenna. I told Spencer that you're here."
"No worries. Of course I'll be here." Jenna said as she returned Aria's smile.
"Can we see her now?" Hanna asked.
"Sure. Her room's this way." Aria motioned for the two to follow her down the hall.
"Uh – can we uh, can I talk to you first?" Jenna asked uneasily. Aria stopped and nodded while Hanna continued to walk towards the room that Aria had pointed to.
"Hanna knows." Jenna whispered. Aria's eyes grew wide.
"What? How?" Aria quickly followed Hanna inside Spencer's room without waiting for Jenna to explain.
Hanna lightly knocked on the door before entering. Spencer looked over at her blonde best friend and managed a weak smile. "Hey, Spence. How are you feeling?" Hanna asked as she stopped and stood beside the brunette's bed.
Spencer cleared her throat before answering with a small smile. "Fine. Just really thirsty and lightheaded. Thanks for being here. You didn't have to come."
Hanna nodded and reached out to hold Spencer's arm. "What happened, Spence? Are you okay?" Hanna asked tentatively, not sure on how to confront Spencer with the new information.
"Just too much alcohol, I guess." Spencer smiled at Hanna.
"Is that all?" Hanna asked as she bit her lip.
Spencer nodded lightly. "Yep. It's all good Han. I just need to re-hydrate and sleep it off."
Hanna stared at the brunette for a moment. She looked over at Aria and Jenna who were now standing on the opposite side of Spencer's bed. Hanna looked back at Spencer and sighed. "You're lying. Why are you lying to me?"
"What are you talking about, Han?" Spencer asked with narrowed eyes.
"Han, now's not the time. Let Spencer rest." Aria looked pointedly at Hanna.
Spencer closed her eyes and felt Jenna's hand brush her hair off her forehead. She opened her eyes once more and smiled gratefully at the brunette.
Jenna looked at Hanna with an unreadable expression. "Aria's right. Get some rest, okay?" Jenna nodded to the brunette on the bed.
Hanna shook her head and sighed. "Why are you really here, Spence? Why do you need to see an oncologist?" All three pairs of eyes were suddenly on Hanna. Spencer looked at Aria, questioning her with her eyes. Aria shook her head. Jenna averted her gaze and silently cursed. "Fuck."
"Would somebody please tell me what's going on?" Hanna insisted after no one spoke for one full minute.
Spencer couldn't make her mind work fast enough to come up with a lie. This is so fucked up. She so wasn't expecting this.
"No is not a good time, Hanna. Let Spencer rest. Please." Aria pleaded.
Hanna sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I just – I'm so confused. I'm sorry Spence."
Spencer felt a tug in her heart as she looked at Hanna's helpless face. Spencer turned her gaze from Hanna to the two brunettes. "Can you guys please give us a moment?" Aria contemplated for a while before nodding and allowing Jenna to lightly pull her out of the room.
Spencer patted the space beside her for Hanna to sit. Hanna gingerly sat beside her best friend, confusion still evident on her face. "I'm sorry." Spencer whispered as she looked up at Hanna with a tired smile.
"For what? It's me who should be apologizing. I was eavesdropping on their conversation earlier and your doctor said that you need to see an oncologist. I'm not sure if I even heard it right. I'm sorry Spence, I'm just – what's going on, Spence?" Hanna rambled.
"Han, I'm – I have – there's something that I need to tell you. Just promise that you won't hate me, okay?" Spencer asked softly as she struggled to come up with words.
"What is it? Why would I hate you? I could never hate you, Spence. You know that." Hanna placed her hand on top of Spencer's.
Spencer nodded and closed her eyes. Hanna patiently waited for her to go on. "I've been keeping something from you, from all of you. Even Aria. She just found out recently. I just, I don't know how to tell you." Spencer said as she tried to avoid Hanna's eyes.
Hanna squeezed the brunette's hand. "Hey, whatever it is, you can tell me, okay?"
Spencer finally met the blonde's blue eyes. "I'm sick, Han. Like really really sick." Hanna tipped her head to the side in question but didn't interrupt the brunette.
"I have a brain tumor, Han. I just found out a few months ago and I can't – I don't – I don't have much time." Hanna clasped her hand to her mouth as her other hand gripped Spencer's tighter. She couldn't help the tears from streaming down her face. Hanna shook her head and opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out.
Spencer bit her lip and felt tears fall down her cheeks as well. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to find out like this. I was too afraid to tell you." Spencer felt the blonde's hand grow cold.
"Spence -" Hanna choked out. "How could you keep that from me? From us? I just – this is so fucked up. I can't even – I just… No. There must be some mistake." Hanna shook her head and stood, slowly backing herself up from the bed. Spencer tried to reach for her hand but the blonde started pacing.
"Han. I'm sorry. I couldn't tell anyone. I was so scared." Spencer tried to sit up but she felt nauseous from the sudden movement.
"Spencer- I – this" Hanna continued to pace back and forth. She felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest at how it was forcefully pounding.
"Han, come here please." Spencer pleaded with a small voice.
Hanna stopped pacing and looked apologetically at Spencer. "Why didn't you tell me? Why – I just – are you sure? Maybe we just need to find a better doctor, get a second opinion. I'm sure there are lots of other better doctors out there." Hanna sat back next to Spencer and took the brunette's hand once again, grasping it tightly.
"I've already tried, Han. That's why I was travelling with Melissa all summer." Spencer gazed at their joined hands and took a deep breath before meeting Hanna's eyes once more. "I'm afraid there are no other options, Han." Spencer bit her lip and shrugged. "This is it for me."
It felt like a slap in the face. It felt like defeat. Spencer was never one to easily surrender, to admit defeat. She was the strongest one out of all of them. "No. No, no, no. Please don't say that. Spencer, please. I can't – I – what can I do?" Hanna pleaded hopelessly as she tried to stop the stream of tears flowing down her face.
"I'm sorry Han, there's nothing either of us can do. But you could stay with me for a little while longer if that's okay." Spencer said softly as she laced her fingers with her best friend's.
Hanna reached over and wiped the tears off Spencer's cheeks with her free hand before moving back to wipe off her own. "Of course. I would never leave your side."
Spencer smiled gratefully at her best friend. Hanna is truly one of the most loving, caring people that she has ever met. "Thanks Han. I just wanna say that you're a really great friend, and I love you."
Hanna returned the brunette's smile. "I love you too, Spence. Please, let's not talk as if we're saying goodbye."
