The Hospital Dance

Stella is now 16

Dedicated To Lorna and Dennis, Both loved, both lost.

Author's Note: The formatting of this chapter is a little different. It consists of three separate vinaigrettes that that take place at different points in time. Thanks got the review Jill Davis1.

Phone Call

Angel POV

I was in my studio, on the Toronto harbor front painting an ad for Colgate total when the phone rang.

I checked my watch as I answered the phone, if willow took much longer, I would have to go out and patrol before I saw her.

"Hello" I said into the phone

"May I talk to Mr. Summers?" I almost say no before I stop myself. That was the name on my fake passport, my name now for all intents and purposes.

"Speaking"

"A Ms Willow Rosenburg collapsed on the subway today, and you were listed as her next of kin."

If I had a working heart it would be pounding by now. In fact I could almost hear it.

"I am .. . Sort of. Is she OK?"

Oh please let her be OK.

"She's fine, an ambulance took her to Mount Sinai hospital. She had just fainted from dehydration."

Why couldn't they have told me that first. "So can I pick her up?"

"Well yes, but we have some other news to tell her, that she probably shouldn't hear alone. So could you please come down?"

"Can you tell me now, give me a warning?"

"I think it's better if you hear the news together"

"But. . ."

"No"

I rushed to the door. I made it to the hospital in twenty minutes. Ten of which were eaten up by hospital security.

I reached willow's bedside, she was awake, and talking to a beautiful, nurse with long brown hair

"Oh, here is my partner" willow said, and the nurse towards me with a smile on her face,

"Hi, Mr. Summers I'm Abbey"

I didn't reply, as nice as this woman seemed I had my priorities

Abbey smiled again, this time it was obviously forced.

"Of course, now I have something, important to tell you." She paused for a second as if she was trying to find a better way to reveal the news. "Willow, you have brain cancer".

Willow and I gasped in tandem.

"Now don't worry," Abbey said shaking her hand slightly "It's treatable"

Willow grabbed my hand. Most types of cancer were treatable in theory, and deadly in practice.

Courthouse

Stella's POV: a month later

I slowly pulled on a pair of Jean's and a billabong, T-shirt. Today is my mother's birthday, but I wasn't in a celebratory mood.

People talk about death ruining their life in an instant. With cancer death is more insidious, it start's a week after the doctor's diagnosis with a visit to chemo (or radiation) Therapy.

After that, death tinges every moment. Not that my mom will inevitably die from cancer, the statistic's say she will be fine but lately, I've had doubt's,

Dad knocked on my door. "Can I come in?" he asked.

"I'm changing"

"Uh well then put something nice on"

"why?"

"A Surprise. Hurry though we are leaving in 15 minutes"

I was completely confused A fountainhead, foreign movie kind of confused. I quickly slipped on my beautiful, black cocktail style dress, shoved on a pair of black high heels, And ran for the door.

Mom and dad were also dressed up. Mother had her long red wig on, and a beautiful gold and blue Florence print dress, Father is wearing a black suit with a white business shirt. I had never seen him wear anything lighter then gray before.

I repeatedly asked were we were going only to be ignored, as my dad navigated the crowded traffic clogged street, the sky cloudy and overcast.

Dad parked, and then we entered the courthouse, and were met by judge Thomas. The judge assured us into her chambers. It took her minutes to marry my parents, to make Liam Summers and Willow Elizabeth Rosenberg, Man and wife.

I mean they had been my parents: a unit, for years, but they had no formal commitment to each other.

But now they had made it clear that they were more then a default couple (together only because it was convenient) they were officially in love.

After the perfunctorily ceremony, we got ice cream, that night I fell a sleep knowing that my mom would live.

The last Waltz

Four month's later

I was reading Our Cancer Year by Harvey Pekar on the streetcar, but other student's chatter kept interrupting my thoughts.

Stephanie was gossiping loudly about how dean, cheated on Naomi. Stephanie and her friend's then proceeded to have a rather lively debate on the merits of lipstick. I didn't care about any of this, since I didn't wear lip-gloss, and I knew for a fact that Naomi was a lesbian.

Carl Hanover was complaining about his mother again, calling her the Boring version of Courtney love, with all the drug's, and screaming, but no paparazzi. I met Carl's mother after our one and only date, she was quite nice particularly when compared to Carl himself, who was crazy even without drugs.

It hurts me to here other teenagers complain, about there parents, when I might loose my second mother. It was my stop so I exited, and headed over to the loft apartment I opened the door quietly.

My mother was lying on the couch, and chatting with my father, who against all probable odds was talking back. Most times my dad just sits there silently trying to figure out how to reduce the problems of the world into a sentence or less.

I stood silently in the doorway for a minute not wanting to interrupt their peace. A waltz came on the radio, old fashioned and beautiful.

Mom smiled at it, dad did too, even though he's more of a ballad man.

He leaned over mom and picked her up from the coach. Her body creaked as he picked her up. Dad hesitated; uncertain about weather he should do this. Mom urged him on, by gently stroking his wrist. So he stood up, my mother cradled in his arms. Looking very frail, and model skinny.

Dad moved slowly around the room, using waltz, like steps turning sharply he dipped the upper half of my mothers body. She giggled.

dad swirled left, then right. Gradually bringing her face closer to hers. Then as the last notes fell they kissed.

He pulled out first gingerly, and set her down on the couch. Carefully covering her with a quilt. Tucking her feet into the edge.

Willow smiled for a second then started to shake.

I tossed the pill bottle to dad he unscrewed the cap quickly. Willow opened up her mouth, and dad dropped them in, and tilted a glass of water, up towards her mouth.

She swallowed, and slowly after a few minutes she stopped shaking and spoke to me "how was your day?"

Mom already knew the answer, so I just smiled and started telling her about how Harvard was funded using opium money

Review Please: This was a long chapter thus it deservers (or rather the author desires), more reviews or at the very least longer reviews. So please, please, review.

The Next Chapter is too sad to speack of.