A/N: So sorry its been so long since I've updated but I've been busy, and haven't had time to write. Again I'm so sorry, and I just want to say thank you to all of you who have reviewed.
Chapter 8
(Shalimar's Room - Three days later)
It had been three days since Adam, Emma, and Jesse found Brennan, and Shalimar. When they go back to Sanctuary both were barely breathing and Brennan was bleeding to death. Both externally, and internally. Having no other options Adam sedated them both.
Shalimar was now recuperating and was drowsy form all the medication Adam and given her. She was fast asleep when a knock at the door awoke her.
"Come in."
"Hey did I wake you?"
"No, not this time."
"How ya feeling?" Emma asked as she sat next to Shalimar on her bed.
"Better than before, much better actually."
Emma gave Shalimar a hug knowing that her best friend was going to be okay. "That's good to hear, you had me worried."
"You should be used to this by now."
"I used to be but I forget how it felt."
"Yea that's so true, I should really try and remember that it's been a little while since this has happened."
"I know what you mean." The two best friends sat in silence for a moment.
"Em how is he?" Shalimar finally asked.
"Not to well. Adam was shocked that he made it as long as he did before we found you."
"He's going to make it through, he always does."
"You still love him don't you?"
"I don't think I'll ever not love him but I moved on."
"I know but,"
"Bu what Em?"
"Nothing."
"Okay I'll leave it since I'm still not fully awake but can I at least go see him?"
"You'll have to ask Adam." Emma was struggling to keep her eyes from swelling up with tears.
Shalimar got up and rushed out the door towards the lab leaving Emma to sit, and catch her breath for a moment before she went to the lab herself.
(Lab)
"Shalimar how are you feeling?" Adam stoodform his desk.
"Fine, Adam can i see him please?"
"Jesse is in with him right now, I suppose Emma told you. You seem to be taking it wel considering everything you two have been through." Just then the Emma walked through the lab doors.
"Guys I know he's not to well right now but you're making it seem like he's on his death bed."
"Adam turned to Emma. "You didn't tell her?"
"It just wouldn't come out." Emma started to cry as Jesse walked into the lab, tear stains fresh on his face. Emma turned towards him, and he held her close.
Meanwhile Shalimar just stood there taking everything in that she was seeing, and processing it all at the same time. "No, no way, Adam there has to be something you can do."
"There's not, I've tried everything and he already knows. He's having something faxed here in a half hour. I think it's his will but i'm not sure."
"How can you just stand there and say it like it's nothing. We may have all been apart but not in our hearts otherwise none of us would have come back to help you Adam. I can't belive you're giving up on him, again!" Shalimar stormed out of the lab and towards Brennan's room.
Before she went in Shalimar calmed herself and wiped away her tears. She quietly opened his door, and found him asleep on his bed. If she hadn't known any better she would have thought he was fine. She sat down on the chair next to his bed, which she had assumed Jesse or whoever had come in first had put there to say goodbye.
It took her a minute before she could find her voice to say something. "There are so many things I want to say but first I just want say I'm truly sorry with my whole heart and soul. I honestly don't know what my life would have been like or where'd I'd be right now if you hadn't be in it and for that I thank you."
Shalimar took a minute to process her thoughts. "I don't want to say goodbye because that would mean I was giving up on you, and that I won't do especially after I gave up on us. I do want you to understand why I did what I did becuase I don't want us to fight anymore. You wree right, I was scared, no I was terrifiedabout having the normal life that I've always wanted. I was so scared you wre going to ditch me, and I got myself all worked up over it. So when you wanted to talk it was the final straw. I've regretted that decision for a long time. Now that it's all out in the open I need to move on with it and just no, that no matter what I'll always be there for you." Shalimar stood up and not being able to see Brennan any longer in the state he was in.
"I was goingto ask you to marry me" Came a grogy voice behind her as she had her hand on the doorknob. Thinking as though she was halluncinating she continued out the door, not knowing that Brennan had heard her confession and couldn't keep his own inside any longer.
Shalimar walked back into the lab and seen Adam, Jesse, and Emma reading a piece of paper.
"What's that?"
"It's his will." Jesse chocked out as he moved over so Shal could sit down.
"I don't know why we have it, we're not going to need it." Shalimar said definantly.
Jesse put one arm around Shalimar the other around Emma. "Go on Adam, read it."
In the next half hour Adam read the will. It was pretty much all given to Shalimar, from the property to the loft, to the Escalade. Just as Adam finished they heard Brennan call them all over their comm rings.
They all stood up and gathered themselves before heading out of the lab and into Brennan's room.
"Hey you okay?" Adam asjed walking in first.
"No, I'm dying but i just wanted us all in the same room like the old days. I truly miss those days where everything seemed so simple. Now it feels like we barely know each other. What it comes down to is I want you all to live your lives to the fullest, don't look back, or say what if, or you regret something becuase everything happens for a reason." Brennan closed his eyes and he tried to catch his breath. When he opened them he seen Emma walk out and Jesse walk out after her, leaving him alone with Shlimar, and Adam.
"Listen Adam you've done all you can so I don't want you to think you could have done more because the reality is you couldn't."
"When you first came here Brenann you were like a kid, and then you grew into more of a teeenager, but now I can honestly say you've grown into a fine man." Adam shook Brennan's hand and went to leave as did Shalimar.
"Shalimar," Brennan called.
She turned around, "yeah."
"Can I, can I talk to you?"
"Of course." Shalimar closed the door and walked back over to Brennan's bed.
"I heard what you said earliern and I just wanted you to know that I was going to break up with you so you've been right all along." It was breaking Brennan's heart to tell Shalimar that he had wanted to break up but ifhe told her that he was going to ask her to marry him it would proably break her heart.
"You know what known of that matters anymore but Brennan I can't accept you will, I won't take your loft, adn everything else, adn you told me you bought it for us os why would you want to break up with me. How many times have I told you you're a really bad liar, but thanks for trying."
"You're right I lied but I don't want you to live in what if. I've done that for the past couple of years, and its not fun. So be happy, Jacob's a good guy, kinda arrogant but a good guy nonetheless. Oh and bout that ring her bought her, I did buy you a better one. It's in the drawer." Shalimar opened the drawer to his nightstand and there it was, the box that she'd seen when she first came back to Sanctuary. She opened it and look at the ring.
"I was going to ask you to marry me. That may not have happened but I couldn't imagine anyone elses wearing that ring but you."
"Brennan I,"
"No you can, and will. Oh and if you don't want the loft, sell it. It's worth about a million so you wouldn't have towork although I know you will." With that said Brennan's heart monitor started to beep and he fell back into a coma. Shalimar ran out of the room, and got Adam.
When she entered the rec room she heard Adam tell Emma and Jesse to go home, and that there was nothing more they could do.He also told them that they had caught Joshua and the rest of them.
"Adam Brennan's heart monitor." Was all Shalimar managed to get out.
Fifteen minutes later Adam came back intot he rec room.
He entered the room to find three very worried people. "He's stable but his body can't take another hit like that. He has at the most three hours and i don't want you all to be here when it happens so i want you all to go home. Keep in touch." With that Adam left and everyone went to pack knowing not to argue with Adam at the moment.
(Lab - 1 hour later)
"Adam we're ready." Jesse said holding a tearful Emma.
"Alright call when you get home."
"I'm ready too." Shalimar walked in behind Jesse and Emma.
"Okay well take the Helix, I'm sorry I can't go with you."
"It's alright we understand you have to be here, make it as painless as possible." Jesse hugged Adam tears in his eyes, as did Emma and Shalimar.
The three heartbroken new mutants boarded the Helix. Jesse, and Emma sat in the front while Shalimar sat by herself thinking about what Brennan had told her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the ring and put it on.
After flying in silence for abou a half hour Emma came and sat with Shalimar. Another five minutes past before anyone said anything.
" He was goign to ask me to marry him Emma."
"I know sweetie he told us when we asked." Emma hugged Shalimar and noticed the ring on her finger. "It's gorgeuos , it's the one you wanted right?"
"Yeah. my dream engagement ring. I thought I'd never get it but her made my dream come true."
"Sha; don't feel bad for any reason."
"He told me the same thing but I can't help but feel responsible. I mean how I am supposed to get on with my life, adn get married now?"
"You don't have to if you odn't want to or if it doesn't feel right."
"I know. I think I just need some time for myself to sort everything out."
"I can only imagine." Emma gave Shalimar a hug and and then went back to her seat next to Jesse.
A half hour later Jesse landed the Helix on the roof of Shalimar's building. "Shal we're here." Jesse said standing up and walking over to Shalimar. "Here's our home number, don't be scared to call. In fact make it a habit, an everyday habit."
"I will don't worry." Shalimar gave Jesse a big hug.
"I'm not saying goodbye like last time so just give me a hug and go see your fiance." Shalimar did as Emma asked.
(Shalimar's Apartment)
Shalimar unlocker her apartment door, and was so glad to be home once she stepped inside. She tossed her keys onto the table by the door and continued into her apartment.
The first place she went was to her room. She put down her bags, adb flopped down onto her bed feeling its comfort. Shalimar turned over and started to cry as much as her body would allow her to. So many thoughts running through her head.
How was she supposed to marry one man when the man who had her whole heart was dying or could even already be dead? How could she marry Brennan's old best friend on top of that?
Her thoughts were so over whelming that it took her a few hours before she figured everything out. Finally she picked up the phone and called Jacob.
"McCalister."
"Hi, it's me, are you busy."
"No, actually I'm just sitting here drinking some coffee and talkin to Elliot."
"Tell him I said hi."
"I will, so when are you coming home?"
"That's why I called. I'm home now if you want to come over."
"Sure I'm on my way, are you okay?"
"Yeah, why do you ask?"
"You seem like you've been crying."
"No. I'm fine. So you're coming over?"
"On my way." Shalimar hung up the phone and went into the the washroom to clean up.
Twenty minutes later Shalimar stepped out of hte shower, got dressed and headed into her living room to find Jacob sitting on the couch.
Jacob stood up and went to give Shalimar a give but she backed away and that's when he noticed she wasn't wearing her engagement ring.
"What's going on? I'm starting to think you're breaking up with me." Jacob was confused and getting more so by the minute.
Shalimar just looked down at the ground. She couldn't manage to him. She knew what she needed to say but the words just wouldn't come out.
"Hey." Jacob lifted Shalimar's face lightly with his hand. "If this is too fast we can call off the engagement and justt go back to before, and take things a little slower."
"Jacob I can't, I won't do this to myself anymore, and this is probably goingto sound really corny but it's the truth. It's not you, I mean you're amazing, and incredibly loving, adn supportive. Its just there are a lot of things i thought i was over that I'm not, and I need to be over those things before I can move on. I thought I was over these things but thats not the case, just what I wanted the case to be. It wouldn't be fair to either of us if we continue, and it hasn't been fair to you all along, and for that I am so sorry." Shalimar started to cry.
Jacob didn't know what was going on. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were breaking up with me."
"I am." Was all Shalimar could say as she reached into her pocket and took out the ring Jacob had given to her, adn handed it to him.
"I, I, I need to get back to work." Jacob took the ring and headed towards the door avoiding looking Shalimar in the eye.
Shaliamr was about to close the door. "Shalimar just know that no matter what I'll always want the best for you."
"I know, I feel the same, way, and who knows maybe after I sort everything we cna givet his another try, but I don't know how long that will take, and I don't want you to wait around for me." With that said Jacob walked away and Shalimar closed the door.
She walked over to the couch, wrappedthe balnket around herself, and just sat there thinking about the other ring in her pocket,taking it out and putting it on her finger. "I will always love you Brennan no matter what."
TBC
A/N: Hope you liked. Please read and review, adn tell me what you thought, if you liked it or not. One more chapter left, not sure when I'll be able to get it done but i will finish the story so no worries, ciao.
