Max paused outside Kenny's door, and tried to brace herself to go in. I can do this, she thought, it'll be fine. He is the one suffering, not me. Just smile, and everything will be okay.

"Max?" a voice said, startling her. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," she replied, turning to face Jimmy. "Just, uh . . . collecting myself I suppose."

"You know that you can take as much time off as you want with this."

Max shook her head. "I know, and I appreciate it. I think . . . I think I need the distraction. Am I horrible for wanting that? Shouldn't I want to be here with him?"

"Kenny wouldn't want you to give up your life for him."

Max bit her lip, as she thought of the conversation that they had the week before. "I know, and I don't want to crowd him. It's . . . it's just hard. To see him suffering, and to know that he is trying to hide it. I don't know what to do to make this better for him."

Jimmy paused, and just took stock of the woman who thought of as family. "Sometimes the best thing that you can do is nothing. Just being there is enough."

Max smiled at that. "Yeah. Why are you here? I thought you would be at the station."

"I'm on my way. I thought I'd stop by and check up on Kenny. And you."

"Thanks . . . I know Kenny would like that. Do you want to go in for a while? Alone?"

"Sure," he replied, pushing the door open. "Go take a break."

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Jill gritted her teeth from down the hall, as she observed her husband and Max outside Kenny's hospital room. Every time I look they are together, she thought, and he says that there isn't anything going on. He won't touch me, and he can't stay away from her. And Max! Her boyfriend has a cancer, and this is how she deals with it? By sleeping with my husband? That little bitch.

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"How are you feeling?" Jimmy asked, as he lowered himself into the chair by the bed. "You look good."

"Right. Thanks," Kenny replied numbly, aware of the weight he had dropped over the past week. "Feeling? If I don't move, I feel fine. Usually."

"Do you need anything?"

"No."

Jimmy nodded thoughtfully, his heart breaking for his young friend. "If you do, all you have to do is ask."

"Shit. You sound like Max. All positive and cheerful. About everything."

"She's worried about you, and more scared then she would like to admit."

"Yeah," he agreed softly. "I tried to get her to go. I told her that I didn't need her or want her. She saw right through my bullshit. I didn't want her life ruined by this too."

"Kenny. Your life isn't ruined. This is just a speed bump, and you'll be fine in a few months."

"I'm not so sure," he trailed off, looking toward the window.

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"Where are you sneaking off to?" Jill asked, forcing herself to smile. "I thought that you would be with Kenny."

"Jimmy is in with him. I thought I'd give them some time."

"Oh. I didn't know he was coming by."

"He said he was heading into the station. I guess he just stopped by on the way in. How is the radiation going? Is there any news yet?"

"We won't know until we do another MRI," Jill replied, studying Max thoughtfully. "And we won't do that until the treatment is finished. That way we'll know where to go from there."

"It's been making him so sick," Max trailed off, her heart breaking for her lover. "Is there something else that you can do that won't? How can it be doing any good if he is suffering so much?"

"The drugs are strong for a reason, and these are the side effects," Jill countered, focusing on the patient on hand and not her suspicions. "Kenny is strong, and he'll fight his way through it. He needs you though, whether he says so or not. Remember that."

"He has me," Max said softly. "He knows that."

"Then what are you doing out here?"

"What? Just getting some space I guess," Max trailed off at her bluntness. "He doesn't need me crowding him and stuff."

"I thought that you wanted to be with him."

"Of course I do," Max replied, somewhat defensively. "It's just hard to see him like that sometimes. I love him, Jill, and it kills me to see him suffering like this. He tries to hide it too, so no one will see it."

"So you're putting your own needs over his?"

"What are you talking about?"

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"I'm sure," Jimmy insisted. "So is Max."

"All I ever wanted was," Kenny trailed off, not sure he wanted to tell his deepest thoughts to Jimmy. "All I ever wanted was to be with her, and we finally did it. We were making it work, and she makes me happier then I ever thought I could be. I had all these plans for us, and . . . now this."

"She'll wait. Max isn't going anywhere."

"She should."

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"Your letting your own fears prevent you from being with him in his time of need," Jill replied, feeling secretly smug inside.

"I'm not," Max insisted. "What are you doing?"

"Doing? I'm trying to convince you to support your boyfriend when he needs you. Kenny has cancer ,Max, and you need to focus on him and not you."

"Uh huh," Max replied. "Um, so are you saying that I should just sit by his bedside, and drive him crazy? Jill, you know him."

"This changes things, Max. Go. Be with him."

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"No, she shouldn't," Jimmy countered. "And you know she won't."

"Yeah," Kenny agreed, knowing her well. "She is too damn stubborn to give up on anything. Including me."

"That she is," Jimmy agreed, pausing at the knock at the door. "This must be the sign for me to leave. I'm going to be late as it is."

"You don't have to go," Max insisted, still thinking of her conversation with Jill. "Hi."

"Hi to you too," Kenny replied, feeling overjoyed to see her.

"I'll see you both later," Jimmy said, walking by Max and dropping his voice so Kenny wouldn't hear. "If you need anything, call."

Max nodded, as she made her way over to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"That seems to be the question of the morning," he replied, wanting to talk about anything other then the cancer. Beautiful, he thought, in cut-offs and a t-shirt, so fresh and healthy. "Damn, you look good. Come here."

"What are you doing?" she asked, as he pulled her down on the side of the bed. "Kenny?"

"Ssh. I just want to look at you," he replied, running his fingers through her hair.

Max tried not to squirm under his gaze and gentle touch. "Kenny?"

He trailed his fingers down her face, and ignored all the pain that the chemotherapy was causing him. Pulling her down closer to him, he whispered. "Ssh."

Pressing his lips gently against hers, and Kenny pulled her closer to his chest. Running one hand through her hair, he felt her fingers rub against his chest. I want her, I need her.

"Shit," he groaned, releasing her. "Max . . . I'm going to be sick."

Pulling away quickly, she grabbed the trash can by the side of the bed. "Here."

Holding his hand, as he retched, Max swallowed back her tears. It's just started, and he has five more weeks of this.

"Sorry," he gasped, as the nausea dissipated. "It sneaks up on me sometimes."

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"Here we go," Joey said, as the fourth week of chemotherapy started. "Just lie back, and it'll be over soon."

Kenny eyed the needle in his arm, and wondered how one liquid could make him so sick. Flashing back to the day where he almost barfed all over Max, he grimaced. Remembering how she just sat there afterward, and never mentioned it again. He wanted her to have a break from this. She deserves it, and she's been amazing.

"I'll be back soon," Joey called, "Relax."

Joey observed her patient, as he laid back on the table. Stoic, she thought, and he refuses to admit that he is in pain. Sighing, she walked back in the waiting room. "I knew you were going to show up at some point."

Max shrugged. "I knew he was having chemo this morning . . . How is he?"

"Holding his own," Joey replied. "We scheduled a MRI when the chemo is finished, and it'll show us the progress so far. And what the next steps will be."

"What if . . . What if it hasn't done anything?"

"You can't think that way," Joey replied gently.

"I can't help it," Max replied. "Every day . . . he just seems to get weaker and weaker. It keeps me up at night . . . And I can't tell him any of it."

"Why not?"

"Because it will upset him."

"You need to talk about it, and not keep everything bottled up. It's not good for you."

"I know," Max trailed off. "But it's not about me, and how I feel. I can deal with that later. Right now it's about Kenny."

"You can't make your whole life about one thing."

"Hey, I've been going to work," Max argued weakly. "But I want to be here Joey."

"I know you do."

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Jimmy sighed, as he leaned back against his chair. Closing his eyes briefly, he tried to collect himself.

"Uh, Sheriff? Do you have a minute?" Skeeter asked, rapping on the door. "Jimmy?"

"Sure. Come in," Jimmy replied, focusing on the person in front of him. "What is going on?"

"We got an id on the body," Skeeter began. "He's from Greenbay, and is one Aaron Leonard. Thirty-seven years old, divorced, and a habitual drug user. Apparently he owed his dealer some cash, and tried to get out of it."

"You brought the dealer in?"

"Yeah. It looks like an open and closed case."

"Great. Good work. Was there anything else?"

"I ran by the hospital earlier this week . . . Kenny isn't looking so good."

"It's the chemotherapy. It'll run anyone down."

Skeeter nodded. "It's done this week though . . ."

"We wait then, and stay positive."

"Okay. Have a good night."

Jimmy leaned back against his chair again, and studied the ceiling thoughtfully. It's so hard to stay positive, he thought, especially seeing Kenny like that. I don't know how Max does it day after day. She's looking so worn out herself, and it kind of makes me want to hold her until everything is okay again. She's been a rock through this all though. Kenny is lucky to have that.

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"Hey you," Max said softly, as Kenny stirred back into consciousness. "I was waiting for you to wake up."

"Max," he mumbled. "Ugh, I'm so tired."

"It's been a long day," she agreed. "It's over though. The chemo that is."

"For now. How long have you been here for?"

"Awhile . . . I came after work. Everyone is asking about you, and they will probably drop by some time tomorrow."

"Great."

Max bit her lip, as she took in his weight loss, pale skin, and bald head. "For now should be great for now."

"Don't tell me how to feel about this. You're not the one lying in this bed, Max. You have no idea what this is like."

"Then tell me. I don't know what else to do for you. Talk to me damn it."

"What should I tell you? That I feel like life is slipping away from me? That this is the end? That we'll never get married? Or that I'll never get to see you pregnant with our kid? Maybe that I'll never hold you, kiss you, make love to you again? Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Kenny."

He cut her off. "You promise me something Max. Right now. If I die, I want you to do all of that. Find someone else, be happy. Don't mourn me forever, and go live your life. You promise me that."

"Kenny, I . . ."

"Promise me."

Max swallowed at the intensity in his eyes, and nodded. "I promise, but."

"No buts."

"Ssh, just one. You're not going to die."

Kenny intertwined his fingers with hers. "Okay."

"You really thought about all of that? Us, getting married, having kids?"

"Didn't you?"

"What woman hasn't thought about her wedding?"

Kenny smiled despite everything. "I can picture you in one of those white dresses, and it has big bows on it. And lace."

"You're hilarious . . . Your tux has tails and a top hat."

"There are doves and ice sculptures."

"Our cake is pink."

"We have a polka band."

"You ride in on a horse."

"You look incredibly beautiful, and I forget my vows because of it."

Max smiled. "We can still have all of that."

"Yeah. Maybe without the polka band?"

Max nodded, as she leaned in closer to him. "And who said that you can never kiss me again? Or touch me?"

"Look at me."

"I am. I love you Kenny Lacos, and that hasn't changed."

"I love you too."

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"Ssh, it's okay," Jimmy soothed. "I'll never let anything happen to you."

"I can't. It's wrong."

"It's not. I love you. I've always loved you. Let me love you."

"I . . . I wanted this too. Kiss me again."

Jimmy leaned in, and her young body pressed up against his. Melting against him, she tilted her head back to deepen the kiss. Trembling slightly, as he unbuttoned her shirt, she slid his hands into his pants. He gasped at her exposed breasts, before lowering his head to them.

"Max," Jimmy groaned. "Oh Max."

"Jimmy," she whispered. "Take me. Right here, right now."

Jerking up in his chair, he looked around his empty office. "Oh shit."