Chapter 9

Coop was frozen. Had those four words just come out of her mouth? Yes, he was sure they did.

" Your Leukemia is back?" he managed to squeak out, releasing a little bit of his regret for the way he had treated her.

Lizzie shuffled in place, before finally looking up at Coop and replying, " Yes. It is."

Coop felt like a ton of bricks had just been thrown at him. This was overwhelming horrible news. Possibly the most horrible news that he could have gotten. Lizzie's Leukemia was back. But what did that mean?

" Look, Coop, You don't have to feel bad for what you said, okay? I mean I probably did deserve it for all the horrible things I have done in my life." Lizzie said, looking up at Coop.

" No, Lizzie. No one deserves this. Especially not you." Coop said, moving towards her a little more.

Lizzie noticed the closeness, but decided it was okay. " Why? Why would you say that? You hate me. You just got finished telling me exactly what you thought of me. And like I said, you don't have to apologize, it's really okay," she responded.

" No, Lizzie, it's not okay. I said some stuff to you that was completely out of line, even if you really were seeing another guy," Coop started. " I don't know why I acted the way I did. I guess it was just the rush of the moment and I was furious. I am really, really sorry. You did not deserve to be treated that way." Coop finished, looking at Lizzie.

Lizzie looked back at Coop. " It's okay, you're forgiven. This time." Lizzie said with a smile.

There was so much that Coop wanted to ask her. Like how long had she known? What could she do to win this battle, or never ending battle in her case?

Lizzie noticed that Coop was in deep thought, and guessed that he wanted to ask her about this whole thing.

" Coop?" Lizzie asked.

" What?" Coop responded.

" If you want to ask me, then just go ahead. It's okay. I am used to talking about it." Lizzie said.

Coop looked at her wondering how she could be so brave about something this terrible. She was actually smiling. How did she do it?

" I don't want to upset you," Coop said, " But, how long have you known about this?" he finished.

" Well, I had a sneaking suspicion that something wasn't right with me for a long time, so I went to the doctor's office for a visit, and took Tammy with me. And I found out from Dr. Harris that I had Leukemia again. That was about three weeks ago." Lizzie said, feeling all of the pain coming back from that moment.

Coop noticed that Lizzie had tensed up. He knew this must have been upsetting her, so he decided to change the subject.

" Lizzie, I think it would be best if we just canned this whole conversation, for now, until you are up for it." Coop said.

Lizzie looked up at him again. " Coop, really, I am okay. It really helps to talk to someone about it." Lizzie said.

" Well, okay, if you're sure." Coop said, " I do have another question for you. Who knows about this? I am assuming that you told Alan and your mother at least?" Coop asked.

" Only Tammy, Sandy, and you know about this, and that is the way I would like to keep it." Lizzie said.

" Lizzie, you have to tell your family. I mean, they deserve to know." Coop said.

Lizzie was fidgeting again, because she knew he was right, but they couldn't know. They just couldn't.

" Coop, my grandfather is so upset over my father's death, I don't want to spring this little problem up in his face at the same time. And my mom, well, let's just say, I don't think she can take this again. At least not right now." Lizzie finished.

Coop was listening to her reasoning, and it did make sense, but he knew how upset her family would be if they didn't know.

" Lizzie, I really think you should reevaluate the solution…" Coop began, before Lizzie interrupted him.

" Coop, I am telling you right here, right now, I can not tell them. Not right now." Lizzie stated, somewhat angry.

Coop knew he needed to calm her down, so he told her that he would keep the secret.

" Lizzie, I promise, they will not hear it from me," Coop said, making a promise that he fully intended to keep.

" Really? You won't say anything? Even though you have the biggest conscious in the whole town of Springfield?" Lizzie said, joking.

" If it means that much to you, then yes, I will keep it a secret," Coop said.

" Thank you." Lizzie said, smiling.

" How can you keep doing that?" Coop asked, suddenly.

" Do what?" Lizzie asked, in surprise.

" Keep smiling like that after everything that has happened. You have been through so much with your father being murdered, going through Carl's murder again on the stand, then you find out you have cancer again. I couldn't handle it. How do you do it?" Coop asked.

Lizzie was quiet for a moment, and then finally spoke. " It's easy when you don't have someone who loves you." Lizzie said, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

" What?" Coop said, sitting down beside of her. " What do you mean? Your mother loves you and your Aunt Alex and of course your overbearing grandfather, The Alan Spaulding," Coop said.

" Yeah, they care about me. They don't love me. Not like my father did. The one person who truly loved me is dead. Buried underground." Lizzie said, starting to tear up.

Lizzie scooted further back onto the bed.

Coop was still sitting on the edge, but looked back at her and said, " They do love you, Lizzie," Coop said.

" You know, when I had Leukemia the first time, I remember it being so bad. I remember all the pain and heartache that it caused my family. But the weirdest thing is, I remember, when I stopped breathing, I saw this bright yellow light and I was being pulled towards it. Then it just disappeared, and the next thing I knew I was waking up in my bed at the mansion, and my daddy was beside of me, begging me not to die on him. I remember that like it was yesterday." Lizzie said, finishing her story, and then finally bursting into tears.

Coop gently scooted back until he was beside of her, and then put his arms around her and just let her cry her heart out.

" Coop, I don't know how I am going to do this without my daddy. I can't do this alone. I can't take this chemotherapy and let everyone I love see me get weaker and weaker, and all the while, handfuls of hair will be coming out everyday. Sometimes I just feel like it would be better, the world would be better off, if I just died." Lizzie said, wiping her tears away from her face, but it did no good because more just continued to fall.

Lizzie laid her head on Coop's shoulder, as he continued to hold her.

" Lizzie, you don't have to go through this alone. You don't. I am going to stay by your side the whole time and I am going to fight this cancer right along with you. We are going to do this together." Coop promised her again.

Lizzie raised her head up. " Do you really mean that?" Lizzie asked.

Coop pulled a strand of her hair out of her face and wiped away a stray tear that was falling down her face. " Yes. I mean that. More than anything I have ever said to you." Coop stated.

Lizzie was feeling a little better. " As long as I have you, I will be okay. Thank you for everything." Lizzie said, starting to cry again.

Coop put his arm around her again, " Hey, hey, hey. It's going to be okay." Coop said.

He leaned in and they shared a small, but gentle kiss.

Lizzie laid her head back down on his shoulder, and as he kissed the top of her head, she smiled to herself, knowing that is was possible that everything was going to be okay.

Alan Michael and Lucy had arrived in Springfield that evening, they were a little early, but that was all in the plan. Alan Michael had a few surprises up his sleeve regarding daddy dearest.

" Alan Michael, are you sure you want to do this?" Lucy asked. " I know you mean well, but this could be dangerous, you know. Alan has already taken out Phillip, if he finds out what you are up to, he is going to be very upset." Lucy stated.

" Luce, I am going to be very careful, believe me. If anyone knows how to handle Alan, it's me." Alan Michael said. " It won't be long now."

Spoilers For Chapter 10

Coop does as Lizzie asks, and keeps the secret from Buzz, who wants to know how the night went

Alan wants to set Lizzie up on a date with a co-worker's son, but she is not up to it, making Alan a little suspicious

Alan Michael arrives at the Spaulding mansion, where he tells Alan that he and Lucy are separated

Lucy visits Buzz, but tells him the truth, letting him in on Alan Michael's plan, but of course, leaving out the fact that Alan killed him

Whitney