I don't own Everwood... I appologize in advance.

"Excuse me, sir, may I get through?"

"Huh?" Ephram looked up. "Oh, yes, of course." Ephram stood aside in the isle while the woman got settled into her seat before he sat back down.

"My name is Lucy," she said. "Have you ever been to Europe?"

"What? No, I, uh, I'm going mostly to be going somewhere."

Lucy looked at him. "You sound like I did when I was your age." Ephram glanced at her. "I left right after I graduated high school. My sister, may she rest in peace, had stolen my boyfriend of three years."

Ephram let out a shaky breath. "How'd it turn out?"

The middle-aged woman gave a short laugh. "Terrible. My stuff was stolen, I was broke within three weeks. I ended up back in my old bedroom in two months."

"Well, hopefully I'll last longer," Ephram said, pinching is lips together.

"Hopefully you won't." Ephram stared at her. "Listen I realized that family, friends, they are a part of you, whether you like it or not. And if you walk away from that… that's a part of yourself you can't get back."

Ephram sat, staring at his lap. He was going through a mental checklist to see if he was sure he wanted to leave when the pilot came on the speaker to make an announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I am afraid that there is a leak in the fuel tank and the plane will not be ready to fly until the leak has been fixed and we are okayed for flight." There were some groans and mutterings from the other passengers. "Because of the low number of available workmen, we are going to move you to flight 315 which will take off for London in an hour and a half. Please be sure you have all of your things as you exit the plane. Thank you."

"Well," Lucy said, grabbing her carry on. "Looks like we'll have more time to chat."

"Yeah," Ephram said.

"Nervous?" Lucy asked Ephram as they sat waiting for the plane. They were in line to be boarded onto the plane which was leaving in twenty minutes.

He sighed. "A little bit." Lucy patted his shoulder affectionately.

"Ticket and passport," the woman at the gate requested.

Ephram looked down at his ticket and inhaled slowly. He looked at Lucy. She smiled motherly.

"When you do go to London," Lucy said, already knowing his decision. "Be sure to look me up. I'll be under the Lenore's in the phone book."

"Thanks," Ephram said, hunching his backpack higher on his shoulders. "Enjoy London."

"I will," Lucy said as Ephram hurried out of the airport.

"So what do you feel like," Andy asked his daughter. "Pasta or hamburgers?"

"Hamburgers, definitely."

"Of course. Should I expect different? This is America, after all. Fast- food nation of the world."

"Except that we don't have fast-food in Everwood," Delia remarked.

"I was trying to sound smart, don't ruin it."

"Dad, you're a doctor. You're already too smart."

"Really? Say that again."

"What? Why?"

"Just say it again."

"You're already too smart," Delia repeated.

"I'm sorry I didn't hear that. Can you say it a bit louder?"

"Dad!" Delia shrieked and giggled when they heard the door slam shut.

Ephram appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. Delia and Andy froze for a second.

"Ephram!" Delia recited, running up to him.

"Hey," Ephram bent to pick Delia up in a hug and spin her a bit.

"I knew it," she said when he let her go.

"Knew what?"

"That you would miss me and Dad so much that you'd come back." She nodded for emphasis.

Ephram turned to acknowledge his father.

"Glad to have you back," Andy said, slightly resigned.

"Delia, why don't you go watch TV for a bit," Ephram suggested. Delia scurried away before her father could say no to the TV idea.

"Ephram…" Andy started.

"No, Dad, wait." Ephram took a deep breath and let it out. "I owe you a big apology. I've been rude and selfish. I am still mad about the whole Madison thing, so I don't forgive you for that. But I have to figure my life out, what I want to do with my life… I can't do that without you."

Ephram stuck his hands in his pockets as he waited for his father's response.

Andy sighed. "Okay, but you need to work on your attitude and your mouth. You are an adult and you are going to act like one. But you are still my son, so you can help me out around the house too."

Ephram smiled and nodded. "That sounds fair." He looked around the kitchen. "How's Rose?"

Andy looked up. "She made it through surgery. Most of the tumor is removed, but only chemo will be able to remove the cancer cells that are on her spinal cord."

Ephram nodded, digesting the information. "I'm going to go over there."

"Ephram, do not push Amy on this. Be careful."

He nodded and started over to Amy's house.

Bright answered the door. "Hey, man! I thought, you know, London…"

"Yeah," Ephram came in and took off his jacket. "No, wasn't really ready."

"Cool. Oh, and by the way, me and Hannah."

"You and Hannah… Oh, that's awesome."

"Awesome? Freaking amazing. I mean, I've been with lots of girls, and I mean lots of girls…"

"Yeah, I know man."

"But with Hannah, it's real, you know."

"I'm happy for you. Is Amy in her room?"

"Yeah. Go on up."

Ephram climbed the stairs to Amy's room like he had so many times before. He tried to walk as quietly as he could when he passed Rose's bedroom. He knocked softly on the door.

"Dad," Amy responded to the knocking. "I'm not going to talk about Princeton with you right now."

Ephram walked in. "Hi."

"Ephram, right. Not Dad."

"What is this about Princeton?"

Amy sighed. "I'm not going."

"You're not going?"

"I want to help my mom."

"But, Amy, you shouldn't give up your future because of this."

"Okay," Amy sat up on the edge of her bed. Ephram could tell she was not happy. "One, I'm only taking a year off. And two, what right do you have to say something like that. You could have been a real musician. I mean a real musician."

"Yeah," Ephram tried to defend himself. "But, I couldn't, I mean, I had just found out I was a father."

"And I just found out that my mother has cancer!" Amy shrieked at him, tears budding at her eyes. "My mother is dying!"

"No, Amy," Ephram had such sympathy in his voice. He knelt down in front of her "You don't know that."

"No," Amy brought her volume down. "But I figure you are either going to live or die tomorrow and my mother's chances are not 50-50 anymore." Amy let out a sob as Ephram pulled her into his arms.

"It's not fair," she whimpered into his chest.

Ephram rocked her for quite a while until she cried herself dry. Amy pulled away, wiping her dripping nose and wet face.

Ephram wiped away a tear on her chin. Closing his eyes he leaned in slowly and kissed Amy softly on the lips.

Harold readjusted the pillows for Rose.

"Thanks," she said.

"Do you need anything else?" He rubbed his thumb across her forehead.

She shook her head. They were both pretending not to hear their daughter grieving in the next room over. Rose groaned in pain.

"Are you alright?"

"I- Harold, something isn't right." She grabbed the side of her abdomen. "Harold, I think I need to go to the hospital."

Harold rushed around the bed but realized he was much to weary at this time of night to carry her down the stairs. "Bright!" He called in a panicked voice. Bright rushed in, soon followed by Amy and Ephram.

"We're going to the hospital," Harold announced. "Bright, carry your mother to the car. Ephram, can you carry her overnight bag by the door?"

Bright was already lifting his mother and carrying her out of the room, Amy rushing after to help him. Ephram was unnerved slightly by how Harold sounded panicked but acted on autopilot.

Ephram rushed out, grabbing the slightly heavy suitcase by the door and rushed out to the car. Bright buckled his mother into the front seat and sat in the back seat.

Ephram climbed in after Amy, but Amy wouldn't even look at him the whole way to the hospital. By the time they reached the hospital, Rose was either sleeping or unconscious.

"Are you okay?" Ephram asked Amy as they waited in the hallway outside the room Rose had been admitted to.

Amy looked at him with a tear streaked face. "Oh, God, Ephram, I am so scared." He put his arm around her. "I keep on visualizing all of these different scenarios where they tell me my mom is dead. Like we're making a movie and we're trying to shoot the most effective hospital scene, only this is real. And as hard as I try, I can't imagine what life without her would be like."

"They have some of the best doctors here," Ephram said. "And they are going to do everything they can."

"Yeah, well, what if that's not good enough?"

Ephram didn't have an answer. Harold and Dr. Chow stepped out of the room. The three teens stood up.

"She's going to be fine," Harold said.

"Well, what happened?" Amy addressed Dr. Chow, knowing her father won't give her a strait answer. "Is is she worse?"

"The important thing," her father intercepted. "Is that your mother is going to be fine."

"I'm not a child anymore. I have a right to know." Amy looked at Dr. Chow.

"Well," Dr. Chow began. "The cancer cells that were left in her body, although there are only a few, are attempting to spread. Now, they haven't succeeded yet, but unless we destroy them soon, she might not last more than a month or two."

Amy clasped her hands over her mouth; Bright turned at walked a couple of feet and walked back.

"But you're going to do something, right?" Ephram asked, since no one else would.

"Intensive chemotherapy. She could go in for another surgery to remove the remaining cells but she would be paralyzed below the waist, possibly from her neck down."

"Then we do the chemo, right?" Amy said, looking at her father.

"That is what we will most likely do," Dr. Chow said. "But the chemo will weaken her immune system, and a mere chest cold could be fatal."

Amy's eyes darted between her father and the doctor. She somehow made it to the chair before she passed out. She felt Ephram sit on one side and Bright on the other.

"This is a dream," Amy said to herself. "This is all just a dream." Amy turned at gave her brother a weak smile. "I'm going to wake up and mom will be cooking and singing and perfectly healthy and…"

Ephram glanced over at Bright uncomfortable. "Amy, look at me," he said. "You're going to make it through this." Amy smiled, shaking her head. She was definitely out of it. "Amy, this isn't a dream, this is real…"

"Stop it," Bright snapped at his friend. "Let her believe it's a dream if it gets her through the night." He put his hands over his face and screamed, but his hands muffled the sound. He stood up suddenly. He kicked the wall a couple of times, causing heads to turn. "I need some air," he said as he walked out the door.

Ephram was about to follow him when he noticed Amy had snapped out of her dream state at her brother's outburst.

"I'm so scared, Ephram," she cried. "We either kill her or paralyze her." She crumbled into his arms. "It's like some band aid God is ripping off. Only instead of all at once, it's like he's going as slowly as possible, to make it more painful."

Ephram let the tears he'd been holding in go too. Memories of his mother, of her death, flashed through his mind.

The phone rang at the Brown house.

"Who's there?" Andy asked to the air sleepily before realizing it was the phone. He picked up the receiver and looked at the clock. "'ello?"

"Andy… It's Harold."

"Yeah, and it's 3:37 in the morning."

"Rose is back in the hospital. I- can you come?"

Andy was awake now. "Sure, I'll be there as fast as I can."

Andy rushed in the hospital, looking for Harold.

"Andy," Harold called him over.

"What is it? What's going on?"

"The cancer cells are putting up a fight. Intensive chemo will shut off her immune system and surgery will paralyze her."

Andy was shocked. "Oh, my God."

"I feel so angry at God, and yet I pray to him for help…"

"Harold, I, I am so sorry. You were right. I shouldn't have done the surgery, not after a year of not practicing surgery…"

"Andy, I'm walking a fine line here and if you start blaming yourself, I will not be able to keep myself together like my kids need me to be."

Andy sighed and nodded.

"Dad?"

Andy turned and was surprised Ephram was here, but he remembered him going over to see Amy.

"Ephram," Andy said, walking over to his son.

Ephram met him halfway and threw his arms around his father's neck like he had when he was a child. He sobbed quietly as his shoulders shook. Andy held his son while neither of them could think of anything to say.

After a while, Ephram led his father to where he had been sitting. Amy was lying across three chairs, using Ephram's jacket as a pillow. Bright returned from outside and sat down without a word next to Amy's feet. Ephram took the seat next to Amy's head and Andy sat next to his son. And they all waited.

"You should go home," Harold appeared before the half- sleeping bunch. It was 6:45.

Amy and Bright started to protest.

"I'll call if anything changes."

Andy stepped up. "I'll drive them." Harold nodded at his friend. "Come on, kids."

Slowly, they made their way to the car. No one said anything or attempted at small talk. Andy drove to his house first since he had to drop Delia off at school and then they all went to the Abbott house.

Bright plunged face-first into the couch and Amy locked herself in her room and turned on rock music loud.

"Do you think I should do the chemo?" Rose asked her husband. It had been five days since she's been admitted and she has to make up her mind fast.

Her husband exhaled slowly. "Rose, I don't know. We shouldn't have to decide. We shouldn't even be in this place."

"Harold. This is not helping me. We have to look at the pros and cons."

"Okay."

"Okay. If I do the chemo, I won't be able to do much. I'll die at the first cold I catch. If I do the surgery, I'll live. I won't be able to use my legs. What are my chances if I do the surgery?"

"The doctor said that you have about a 50-50 chance of survival."

"And if I do the chemo?"

Harold picked up a stack of web printouts he brought and flipped though them and looking at the notes he made on them from listening to the doctors.

"6 weeks is 80. 8 is 60 and 12 is 50, should I keep going?"

"Harold don't get angry. Please, we have to make this decision and we have to make it together."

Harold sighed deeply and controlled himself.

"We could make the house wheelchair accessible, right? I've read somewhere that it's not too expensive to redo the kitchen for handicapped people, so that way I can still be active and have a hobby… What do you think, Harold?"

"If that is what you want, we'll do it."

"I love you, Harold," Rose said.

Harold grabbed her hand in his. "I love you too."

"Your mother is doing the surgery," Harold announced when he got home. "Tomorrow."

"That's good," Bright said. "Right?"

"But the survival rate is only 50..." Amy trailed off.

"You're mother knows the risks."

Andy stood up. "I'm not doing the surgery."

Harold took off his jacket. "I'm not mad at you."

"That's not the reason. It's just, with the odds being what they are, I don't want to be the surgeon if it doesn't… work."

"Thank you for watching the kids, Andy."

Andy took the hint and gathered his things to go. Ephram gave Amy a quick peck on the cheek before leaving with his father.

Bright let Hannah in the next morning.

"Hey," he gave a quick kiss on the lips. "What is all of this… stuff?"

He was referring to the random objects that Hannah was carrying.

Hannah blushed. "They're for good luck." Hannah sat down and started to explain each item's importance. "This is a friendship bracelet a girl in kindergarten gave me. I don't remember her but it's gotten me good grades on tests."

"I should've had one of those when I was in school."

"This is a shawl that I bought from this gypsy woman at this fare. The rest of this stuff is my Dad's stuff." Bright shifted though the stuff.

"Your dad wore suspenders?"

"Yes. So, are you nervous?"

"I'm scared."

He said it so simply that it caught Hannah off guard. Generally he denies feeling any emotion.

"I remember how scared I was… with my dad and all."

"So which one of these good luck charms did the trick?"

"My mom."

"Oh."

Amy came downstairs. "Hi Hannah."

"Hey," Hannah got up to give Amy a hug.

Amy walked over to the couch and embraced her brother. "I can't wait for this whole thing to be over with."

"We should go," Bright said.

The scurried into the car and Bright drove over to the hospital. Ephram was already there with his dad.

"Hey," Amy kissed him. "Has she gone into surgery yet?"

Andy spoke up. "No. She wants to talk with you before she goes in."

"I'll go first," Bright spoke up. Bright walked over to his mom's room.

"Hi, Mom."

"Hey, honey," Rose sounded happy to see him, but also somewhat weak.

"I'll leave you two alone," Harold left the room.

"Hey, honey," Rose said again.

Bright walked over and took his mother's hand in his. "Are you scared?"

"Yes."

Bright nodded, tears threatening to spill over.

"Oh, honey." Bright knelt down and laid he head on his mother's stomach while she stoke his hair. "I don't want you to worry about me. If I don't make it…" Bright looked up at her. "If I don't make it, I want you to know I will always love you an Amy and I will always be proud of you."

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, baby."

Ephram left the room and let Amy in.

"Hey, baby," Rose said.

"Oh, Mom," Amy's voice was choking with tears. Amy climbed into the small hospital bed next to her mother. Rose held her daughter for a long time. She repeated what she said to Bright to Amy. Amy tried to remember the smell of her mother… just in case it was the last time.

"I love you," Amy said and left. Harold went in to say his goodbyes until they took her into surgery.

"I can't stand this waiting," Bright said. Hannah placed her hand on his knee and he covered her hand with his. "How long has it been?"

They've been playing this time game for a while. Hannah looked at her watch. "2 hours and 45 minutes."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Amy confessed to Ephram.

"You're mom's going to be fine," he assured her with a kiss.

Harold was marking 4 feet of the hospital hallway with is pacing. Andy had to stop looking at him to keep from getting dizzy.

"How long has it been?" Harold asked.

Andy looked at his watch again. "3 and a half hours."

The group was left in agony until it had been 5 hours since she had been admitted into surgery.

Everyone crowded around Dr. Chow.

"How is she?" Harold asked. "Can we go see her?"

Dr Chow looked at her clipboard to avoid the expectant stares. She faced Harold and the crowd finally.

"It was a long surgery and… I'm sorry. She didn't make it through the surgery. I'm sorry." Dr. Chow left to let them self-destruct.

There was a thirty second delay in the response of them all. Harold turned and walked down the hall, tears filling his eyes. Bright sat down in one of the waiting seats and collapsed into Hannah's caring arms.

Amy stood there breathing heavily, tears flowing freely.

"Amy?" Ephram stood in front of her. She wasn't responding, she just stood there, in shock. Amy turned in attempt to run away but she just ended up doubling over, struggling to breath. Ephram walked her over to the chairs a couple of seats away from her brother. He got her to cuddle in his arms but he wasn't sure if she realized he was even there.

Andy ran to catch up with Harold. He saw him set off his car alarm in the parking lock when he kicked and broke a headlight.

Andy ran up to his friend who could barely see strait. He grabbed Harold's car keys to turn off the alarm. All of a sudden everything was too quiet without it.

"If I didn't have kids, I'd drive this thing off a cliff."

"Harold, don't think like that."

"How am I supposed to be thinking?"

"Like a father."

Harold took several deep breaths and made his way to check on his children.