Chapter 4

The sun was peaking into the window of Lizzie's room at the Spaulding mansion. Lizzie was still sleeping when her grandfather, Alan, knocked on her door.

"Lizzie, sweetheart. Are you awake?" Alan asked, sounding very much too happy.

Lizzie woke up when her grandfather bellowed the question. " I am now," Lizzie responded, sitting up. She suddenly felt very dizzy, and laid back down. She had been feeling like this since last night at Company. The dizziness, shaking, and last night she had discovered she had a fever. The flu was going around the town of Springfield, so she assumed she had gotten bits and pieces of it.

Alan walked into the bedroom and shut the door behind him. " Lizzie, I am hoping that you are going to be coming with me this afternoon when I go to the courthouse." Alan said, hopefully.

Lizzie sat back up again, still feeling a little dizzy. But she decided against telling her grandfather that she was ill. She knew he had enough on his plate with her father being killed and all. " Why are you going to the courthouse?" Lizzie asked.

" The verdict is in for Harley Cooper. I have a feeling she is going to be found guilty, which we all know she is, and Gus Aitoro is going down with her." Alan stated, very sure of himself. " In fact, if I have it my way, all the Coopers are going to be out on the street with nothing at all." Alan finished. " Oh, by the way, I am very proud of you."

Lizzie was sort of looking at Alan with a blank stare.

" I guess you're wondering why?" Alan asked. " Well, your Aunt Alex told me that you evicted the Coopers from their residence. That is the first step in destroying their lives like they have ours." Alan said.

Lizzie didn't really want to join in the bashing of the Coopers. She didn't want to get on Coop's bad side again. Especially after last night. It was so perfect. After everything she had done to him, he had still gone to bat for her and defended her honor to Frank. Now it was her turn to do the same for him.

" Grandfather, do you have to continuously bash the Coopers?" Lizzie asked. " I mean, Harley is the mother of one of your grandchildren."

" Lizzie, she murdered your father. I am justified in getting revenge." Alan stated.

" You don't know that for sure. There were a lot of people mad at daddy. He was not himself. I know what it felt like, because he tried to take me with him. It was horrible." Lizzie stated. She was starting to feel a little weak and she was starting to get dizzy again. She laid back down.

Alan looked a little concerned. " Lizzie, are you okay, darling?" Alan asked, walking over a little closer to his granddaughter's bed.

" Yes, I am okay. I just think I am going to sleep for a little while longer." Lizzie said turning to lay on her side.

Alan walked back to the other side of the room, and put his hand on the doorknob. " I will send Hailey back in here to check on you in a little while." Alan said, and then walked out the door.

Lizzie quickly sat up again, feeling a lot dizzier. She needed to call someone. Someone who knew what they were talking about. She picked up the phone and called her former best friend, Tammy. They were sort of friends again, but not as close as they used to be. Not after the whole Joey thing.

Tammy arrived at the Spaulding mansion, and headed up to Lizzie's room. She hadn't heard or spoken to Lizzie since that night at Company. She wondered what she was so upset about. She knocked on Lizzie's bedroom door. Lizzie opened the door.

" Tammy, thank god you're here." Lizzie said, pulling her into the room and locking the door.

" Lizzie, what is wrong with you?" Tammy asked, a little concerned.

" Did my grandfather see you come up here?" Lizzie asked.

Tammy put her purse down on the bed, and looked at Lizzie strangely. "No, why?" Tammy asked.

" Well, I have sort of been feeling sick for a few days now." Lizzie said. " I thought I might just have the flu, because the symptoms are flu-like," she continued.

" Okay, but why did you need to tell me this?" Tammy said.

" I don't want to tell my grandfather or my mother about this," Lizzie said. " They already are dealing with so much after daddy's death. I don't want Coop to know either," Lizzie said.

" Wait a minute," Tammy said, looking intrigued. " You and Coop?"

" Okay, I know what you are thinking. Spaulding and Coopers don't mix, and I agree. But we decided to keep it on the low, so my grandfather doesn't find out." Lizzie explained. " But I don't want him to find out, because he will just be worried about me," Lizzie finished.

" Okay, but where do I come in?" Tammy asked.

" I have already made a doctor's appointment this morning. It is in an hour, and I was wondering if you are not doing anything, could you go with me?" Lizzie asked.

" Well, I don't have class until 2:00, so I guess I can come with you," Tammy answered. " Why are you so worried, anyway? I mean, it's just the doctor's office?"

" In case there is something seriously wrong with me, I want to take care of it myself. I do not want to bring down the people that I care about." Lizzie said.

Lizzie and Tammy walked into the doctor's office after the nurse had called her back.

" Well, Miss. Spaulding, it seems you are having a little health problem?" the nurse asked.

Lizzie nodded. " Yes, I think I have the flu, but I am not sure. I mean, I have been feeling dizzy, I had a fever last night, and I have been having the chills. Since those are all common symptoms of the flu, I assumed that was what I had." Lizzie finished.

" I have been looking through your charts and I have come across something very disturbing." the nurse said.

" What do you mean?" Lizzie asked.

" I don't know if I should tell you until I have had time to research it," the nurse responded.

" Just tell me, please. It can't be that bad." Lizzie said.

" Okay, it seems that you were diagnosed with Leukemia about six years ago," the nurse began.

" So, what does that have to do with this?" Lizzie asked, a little confused.

" The symptoms you have described to me, fit exactally with the symptoms for Leukemia," the nurse continued.

Lizzie turned and looked at Tammy, who looked more than a little worried. " Um, but my Leukemia went into remission, the doctors said so." Lizzie said in worry.

" Miss Spaulding, I don't want to worry you or upset you, but it is very possible your Leukemia is back." the doctor finished. " We need to do a few tests, to find out for sure. I will need to contact your parents and anyone else who should be concerned."

" No! Please, don't tell anyone. I don't want to worry them. They have enough on their plates as it is." Lizzie finished. " If what your saying is true, than I will find my own way to tell them." Lizzie said.

" Alright, Miss Spaulding, I won't say anything right now, but you need to think about what you are going to do in case this is true." she said.

The nurse walked out of the room, and Lizzie sank down further in her chair. " Oh My God, Tammy. If this is true, do you know what this will do to my grandfather and my mother?" Lizzie said, full of worry.

" Lizzie, we need to focus on the important thing here. How is this going to affect you?" Tammy asked.

" I have already been through this once before, Tammy. And it is horrible." Lizzie said.

Lizzie was scared to death. She never thought that this could happen again. She remembered all of it with such detail. She knew there was a possibility that this time she would not survive. She could die, and that scared her to death.

Across town, in a lonely Company, Alan sat in the middle of the restaurant drinking a beer. His cell phone rang.

" Hello?" Alan said, a little loudly.

" It's me. The plan is all coming together." the voice said. " Harley should be convicted anytime now," it finished. " I am waiting for my pay in this little deal."

" You will get your pay, you did a fine job." Alan said.

" If I don't get my pay, there will be some long lasting consequences for you, my friend," he said.

Alan shifted in his chair. " What do you mean?"

" Well, if you cheat me out of my check, than your precious little granddaughter and the rest of Springfield will know that you killed your own son."

Whitney

Spoilers for Chapter 5

Lizzie finds out the test results

Coop goes looking for Lizzie

Alan is in a major jam

Lizzie tries to push Coop away