Chapter 2: Return

On the next few weeks, Clint started getting worried about Kate, who looked weak and tired all the time and lost a lot of weight. Once, he even caught her throwing up, but she refused to admit that something was wrong with her. Sometimes, he tried to cheer her up by taking her our for lunch, but she didn't seem to have a big appetite, and it was a torture for him to see her looking at her food as if it was her enemy. Few times, he invited her to dinner at his apartment, but she refused.

He just finished checking a patient and went out of the checking room, assuring the patient that his condition was not serious when he saw Kate walking into the room, one arm lying on her stomach and the other looking for something in her pocket. She was pale, and panted.

"Hey, Kate!" Clint said and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Clint," She dug in her pocket as if she was trying to find something really small in it.

"Something wrong?"

"I lost something." She said uneasily.

"I hope it's not your car keys." Clint smiled. She shook her head. "Why don't you tell me what it was? Maybe I saw it somewhere."

"It's okay. I'll manage."

"Come on, Kate. Just tell me what it was. If I find it I'll give it back to you." Clint said.

"Just some pills. But I can get new ones." Kate said.

"What kind of pills?"

"Uh?"

"I asked what kind of pills you lost."

"Just painkillers. Nothing that should bother you." She did her best to give him a convincing smile.

"You have pains?"

"Nooooo" She dragged the word.

"Then why do you…"

"I mean, it's not serious."

"Kate, what hurts you?" Clint asked.

"Nothing. I can handle it."

"Let's make a deal. You let me check you up and I give you a break. How does that sound?" Clint offered.

"Okay. But promise that you won't make it too long. I have patients waiting for me."

"Okay." He promised and they went to an empty examining room. "Now, you know the procedure. Tell me what's hurting you."

"Well, it's my stomach."

"Lie down please." Clint said.

"You can't be serious. We're not playing doctor and patient right now."

"You're right. We're not playing. It's real and I wanna find out what's wrong with you." Clint replied. Kate sighed. "Now tell me if it hurts where I press." He moved her shirt and started pressing on her stomach with his fingers. Suddenly, as he touched above her belly button, she gasped. He pressed on the same place, this time a little bit harder and she moaned in pain. "Okay, let me feel what's going on inside." As he touched the same place again he felt a lump.

"Please stop." She gasped in pain and folded her knees towards her stomach.

"Okay, you can sit." Clint said, but she stayed lying on the bed.

"I can't. It hurts."

"You have a lump there. I don't want to hurt you, but I think that an X-ray is needed here." He said and wrapped his arm around her back, to help her sit. "Meanwhile I can give you some morphine."

"You can't. I won't be able to work if I take morphine."

"You should not work if you're not feeling well. You need some rest and I suggest that you cancel your appointments for today." He said softly.

"Clint, just give me regular painkillers. I don't think that I have much time for an X-ray and other tests." She said, still hurting.

"Kate, you have a lump in your stomach. In case you forgot, your medical history includes cancer and that was not so long ago."

"Just give me painkillers. Please, Clint." She begged.

"Not if you won't agree to take the day off and let me run some tests."

"Clint…" He could see tears in her eyes. "Please stop torturing me."

"It's not me who's torturing you. It's you. Just let me run some tests and you'll get your painkillers."

"Clint, I have cancer. I know that for a little while. Now please give me those damn painkillers."

"Kate,"

"I'm not lying. I knew it even before Rob died." She panted.

"I'm gonna give you morphine." Clint said. He went to the supply cupboard and took out a little bottle and a syringe. He injected her the morphine and then wrapped his arms around her. "It will take few minutes." He whispered. She was already a little bit calmer and barely moved in his arms.

"Clint, who will pick Jenna up from kindergarten?"

"I will." Clint said. She smiled widely and he could see that the morphine already kicked in.

Clint took Kate to his place and made dinner for her. They left Jenna at Nancy's so they could talk quietly. She told him that she knew about the cancer for almost six months and that her doctor told her that it was too late to start a treatment.

"You know, I felt helpless at first and then angry. But then I realized that at least I had a good life and that most of my dreams came true." She said.

"I wish you told me sooner. All of this time I was worried about you, but I hoped that things were fine with you. I mean, since Rob died, I saw you losing weight, getting tired and weak, but I thought you were depressed. I mean, losing someone you love is always hard and I thought you weren't dealing too well." Clint said.

"I was depressed and I guess that in a way it shortened my time. You see, after I came back to my apartment, I found Rob's suicide note. He said that he couldn't watch me suffer and die and that he wanted to be with me in the next world. Can you imagine how angry it made me? I don't think that I was so selfish when he was injured in that accident four years ago." Kate wiped her tears. "And all I can think now is what will happen to Jenna after I'll die? Who will take care of her?"

"I'm sure you can find a family that will agree to adopt her." Clint suggested.

"You know? I'm adopted. My mother gave me up when I was born."

"And?"

"I have the best parents in the world, but few years ago, I found out that I have a twin sister." Kate said. "It took me a while to find her, but I never dared to call her."

"Maybe it's the right time to do that. Maybe she'll agree to take care of Jenna."

"Do you think she'll agree to meet me and Jen?"

"I don't know, but it's certainly worth a try." Clint said and glance at his watch. "It's not too late now. If you have her number you can call her." Kate nodded and picked up the phone. She called 411 and got her sister's number. Then she dialed it.

"Hello," She heard a woman's voice.

"Lindsay Donner?" Kate asked.

"Yes."

"Hi, my name's Kate Weston. I'm… I don't know if you… I'm your twin sister." There was a silence from the other side of the line.

"I'm sorry, but I think your making a mistake. I don't have a twin sister." Lindsay said.

"I'm sure you didn't know about me. We were separated in birth. Our mother gave us up for adoption." Kate said.

"But I'm not adopted."

"July 12th, 1973. That's our birthday."

"Yes, that's my birthday." Lindsay sounded surprised.

"Listen, I need to meet you. It's very urgent."

"Okay. Where?"

"I live in New York City."

"That would be a little bit far for me. I live in Canada." Lindsay said.

"Oh."

"Never mind. Just tell me a date and I'll be there."

It was almost evening and Kate was nervous like she's never been before. Lindsay was on the way to New York, and was supposed to arrive 6 pm. Kate wasn't sure what to do. Since she first heard Lindsay's voice she wondered if they were identical twins or maybe fraternal and as different as night and day. If that was the case, that she knew, Lindsay was probably the night. They were meeting at Kate's apartment and were supposed to eat dinner together. Kate wasn't sure whether Lindsay liked home cooked food, like she did or maybe liked ready made food; Therefore Kate made her special chicken salad and bought some Nachos and dips in case Lindsay wanted just a small, unhealthy snack. Then there was the what-to-wear problem. She was a doctor and as one, she always wore official, but casual and everything else in her wardrobe was way too fancy to wear at home. She didn't even have walking shoes. As she stood in front of her closet and looked for a shirt that could feet a pair of jeans she bought that day, the phone rang. She answered it and sighed in relief when she heard Clint's voice.

"How are things going?" He asked.

"Uh… I'm struggling to make everything look right." She thought her word choice was interesting and as she thought of it, even reasonable. She could imagine Clint smiling.

"Just relax. If things looked right, the two of you were supposed to meet years ago." He said.

"You're right." She knew that his words were reasonable as much as her nervousness.

"And whatever happens, just take it easy. I guess it's gonna be weird for you, but who knows, maybe it will go better than you expected. Just don't forget to breath." She smiled as he said the last sentence.

"I'll try."

"Good, so good luck and we'll talk tomorrow." Clint said.

"Thanks, Clint. You're an amazing friend." She said and hung up. She came back to her room and took a baby-pink oxford shirt that she usually wore to work. At least her jeans could give it a less meticulous look. After she wore the cloths she picked, she stood in front of the mirror and started doing her makeup. Then she looked at her watch. The hour was 6:01 pm and Lindsay was supposed to be there any moment. She went to the living room and cleaned some dust that stood on a picture of her and Rob. She took some shoes that stood in the entrance and threw it into a closet that stood in the hall. The doorbell rang and she rushed to open the door, but then she stopped. Now, only a door separated between her twin sister who was a total stranger. Her hands were shaking when she opened the door. In front of her stood Lindsay, who was her, now she knew, identical twin. Although Lindsay was the same height, had the same face and eye color as her, one could easily spot the differences between them. Lindsay's hair was shorter than Kate's and her skin had a healthy color, not like Kate's that was much paler than her. Another difference that Kate could spot almost immediately and that made her heart sink was that she was much thinner than Lindsay and that indicated of her sickness.

"Hi," Lindsay's smile was warm, although Kate could see by the look in her eyes that she was surprised to see that they were so similar.

"Lindsay, come in." Kate greeted her with the same warmth. "Well, needless to say, but I'm Kate." She put her hands in her pockets.

"It's really nice to meet you." Lindsay stepped into the apartment and followed Kate to the living room. "Even though I still can't believe that I have a twin sister."

"I knew it since I was little. My parents always told me that there two of us."

"My parents never told me that I was adopted." Lindsay said bitterly.

"I don't know if knowing is better than not knowing." Kate said. "At least you didn't have to think about a mother that never wanted you and gave you away to people she didn't know, only trusting the narrow minded system."

"You sound like you hate her." Lindsay said.

"I met her, and it was a disaster." Kate recalled the meeting with her mother and her heart filled with hatred, an emotion she only rarely felt.

"Why? What happened?"

"She said that we ruined her life, that she should've agreed to have an abortion and that she hoped that we have miserable lives." The look on Lindsay's first clearly indicated that she was hurt by their mother's words, even though she had never heard them come out of her mouth.

"She really said that?" Lindsay was usually a trusting person and that made her much more vulnerable than Kate.

"Forget her, Lindsay. She's not worth the pain you're feeling now." Lindsay was amazed at the way Kate could understand what was going on inside her after such a short acquaintance with her.

"So, we're sisters. For real." Lindsay said, unable to believe her own words. Kate nodded. "That calls for a hug, doesn't it?" Kate smiled and wrapped her arms around Lindsay's shoulders. "Wait, who's older?" Lindsay smiled as she asked it.

"I am. But only ten minutes older than you."

"And yet, there's so much we don't know about each other."

"We can try to catch up, if you'd like to." Kate said.

"Of course I'd like to."

"Would you like to do that over a pizza?" Kate hated eating unhealthy food, but she could make an exception just for once.

"Sure." Lindsay replied.

"What are your favorite toppings?" Kate picked the phone up and dialed the number of her favorite pizzeria.

"Green olives and mushrooms." Lindsay said.

"And drink?"

"Coke." Kate nodded and ordered the pizza.

"It should be here in thirty minutes." She said and sat on the couch, pulling Lindsay by the hand with her. "So, should I start or you would like to do that?"

"You." Lindsay replied.

"Well, I'm a surgeon. I like reading and all kinds of music, but especially rock and I'm a sports fan." Kate said.

"I'm a scientist and I like reading and all kinds of music, particularly classic and just like you, I'm a sports fan." The both of them were amazed at their similarities and taste.

"Favorite Hockey team?"

"The Habs. It's a Canadian team. Yours?"

"The Sound Tigers."

"Cool. I heard they're good." Lindsay said. Kate nodded. "Were we born in Canada or USA?"

"Canada. My family moved here when I was five years old."

"Do you have any other brothers or sisters?"

"Only you and believe it or not, I already love you like we've never been apart." They looked at each other and smiled. "And you?"

"Nope. And I love you too." Lindsay replied. If only Kate knew how much she was craving for a sister since she was a kid. "Married?"

"I was. He committed suicide three months ago." Kate's eyes were full of sorrow and her voice was shaking.

"I'm sorry." Lindsay said. "It must have been terrible."

"Yes." Kate sighed. "Are you married?"

"No. I was in love with this wonderful man. He was my prince on white horse, and I was sure that one day we'll be together, but he was killed in Russia two years ago."

"I'm sorry." Kate said. "And kids?"

"I love kids, but I don't have any of my own." Lindsay replied.

"I have one daughter. She's almost four." Kate said.

"Really? Can I see a picture of her?"

"Sure." Kate went to the bedroom and brought a photo album. She handed it to Lindsay. Lindsay looked at the pictures of Kate's beautiful little girl and could easily see how similar she was to her mother.

"What's her name?"

"Jenna." Kate replied and looked at Lindsay.

"She's beautiful. Looks like you." Lindsay said.

"Thank you." Kate said, hoping that Lindsay will have the same feeling when she will be asked to take care of Jenna after Kate dies. "So, how long will you stay in New York?"

"Only three days. That's all I could get from my boss." Lindsay said and smiled at her sister.