Ch. 11 Why Vaughn Would Have Died

Corrine was being hugged by everyone (except Victor Pearson) in the room.

"We should have a double wedding," Kelly Trent said with a laugh.

Josie, to be truthful, was jumping up and down. "I Have To Be Bridesmaid!"

Corrine grinned at Josie, "duh Josie! Although I wish you would be the one to be first…"

"Ha! You win!" Josie cackled.

Corrine's mother was crying, she had seemed to forgotten that Corrine didn't protect herself, she was happy because her daughter was getting married.

Corrine was smiling so happily, somehow she knew everything was going to be ok now.

Marshall rested as all the doctors ran tests on him. He had been so ready to just give up, he had tried to survive for a week but that had exhausted him, so he just started to die. He felt so guilty he was leaving Corrine, leaving his friends, leaving his family. But he had just been so tired.

And then this happened. He heard Corrine screaming in the waiting room, and decided to listen. The words he heard, the I am pregnant, made his heart (not literally) stop.

You can't leave her now! You would be a bastard if you did! Get up! His mind had been screaming at him, so he did. He gathered up all his energy, sat up, and opened his eyes. And his entire self felt so much better he felt that he WAS going to survive. It had just been so hard to survive before, and now he had found new energy. He was enamored, and that was his energy. It was better than food energy, longer lasting than adrenaline, and he liked it better. Love worked better.

And, not only was he awake, he was going to get married! He didn't want to spend one minuet without Corrine, and he was almost ready to beg the doctors to leave him alone and let him be with the woman he loved. Corrine.

Vaughn came up to Josie one week after, with a hugely ashamed look on his face. Josie was just about to ask him what was up when Vaughn sucked in a deep breath and began talking.

"Well Josie, I'd just like to thank you."

"Why?" Josie asked confusedly.

"Well, uh, I found out, I guess, why I would have died if you picked me…"

"Really?" Josie said, intrigued, "why?"

"Well…" Vaughn was blushing furiously, "two months ago… ah… my new girlfriend from ISU… ah… noticed… um… I had really unnaturally hard… um…"

Josie was blushing now too, "thingies?"

"Yeah," Vaughn sighed with relief, glad he didn't have to say what they are naturally called, "so I… uh… went to the doctor, and he said I had severe testicular cancer that was beginning to spread."

Josie's face turned pale.

"SO I got it treated and stuff, and the cancers gone now. But I can't have a child now, both… thingies… had cancer."

Josie nodded.

"So I'm assuming you'd never have noticed that, and I thank you."

Josie was beginning to snigger, "yep, I probably would… ah… never noticed that…"

Vaughn smiled weakly, "and now I love her… her name's Melissa, a lot and am very grateful that she uh… noticed… and grateful to you for not picking me."

"No problem. But I'm sorry Vaughn, I love Lucas now…"

"Its fine, I love Melissa. Friends again?'

Josie grinned and nodded, "definitely!" They hugged, and Josie turned around smiling.

I've got to go thank the Janitor.

Josie looked him up and found him in the phone book, and called him.

"Hello?" the Janitor asked over the phone.

"Hello, this is Josie. I was just calling you to thank you."

"Why's that?"

"Well… Vaughn discovered why he would have died if I had picked him."

"Ah," and the Janitor let out a small chuckle.

"And I thank you for your advice. I probably would have picked him otherwise."

"Its no problem, its my job."

"And… is there any timeline where I pick him and… uh… notice?"

"Only one."

"Ok, just wondering. Thanks again!"

"No problem Josie, its my job."

-click-

Josie drove as fast as she could to the apartment. She wanted to tell Lucas that she really had picked the right one, and why.

Parking the car, Josie ran up the apartment complex's steps, up the floor steps, and opened their door.

Lucas was watching a television program, Flight 29 Down, and writing a term paper on Adolescents' TV for his teaching class.

"Lucas!" Josie squealed, ran over to the couch, and jumped on him.

"AHH! What?" Lucas yelled.

"I chose the right one, its official now!" she shrieked, kissing Lucas.

Lucas broke the kiss, "Seriously? I am not to die?"

"Yes!" Josie said in an annoyed tone, trying to kiss Lucas again.

"How do you know?" Lucas asked, confused.

"Lets just say Vaughn's new girlfriend noticed something I never would have, and that thing would have killed Vaughn."

Lucas nodded, accepting this answer, and let Josie kiss him.

Marshall was being discharged only a week after waking. The doctors couldn't find anything wrong with him, however baffled they were, so they let him go. Corrine was grinning excitedly as she climbed into her car (which had been sitting in the hospital parking lot since the accident,) and waited for Marshall to come in.

He was shaking his head fiercely, "Corrine, I'm too scared to go into a car again…"

"Marshall, I understand, really, I do. But… I've got to take you home, okay?" Corrine sighed.

Marshall nodded reluctantly and got in the car. His face was white throughout the ride. Finally they were at the apartment. Corrine was grinning broadly as they got out of the car and went to the apartment, and opened the door.

"SURPRISE!" screamed Lucas, Josie; and their friends from school Alyssa, Sara, Mike, and John.

They had decorated the entire apartment, balloons and banner and streamers hung about. One banner said "WELLCOME HOME MARSHALL!" and another "CONGRAGULATIONS ON YOUR BABY CORRINE AND MARSHALL" and yet another, "CONGRAGULATIONS ON YOU ENGAGEMENT CORRINE AND MARSHALL!"

Corrine and Marshall were grinning, their friends were so great.

Alyssa walked over, grinning herself.

"You guys totally deserve this, after all you've been through."

"Thanks Alyssa, this means a ton," Marshall sighed, staring at everything. Mike, who was excellent at music and worked part-time as a DJ, walked over to his system and played a slow dance song.

"Come on everybody, let's dance!" Mike laughed. Sara helped him with the system, being another tech wiz, while everyone else did dance.

Jose and Lucas and Corrine and Marshall were all dancing, while Alyssa and John hung out awkwardly at the side. Everyone knew they liked each other, but they wouldn't admit it. Many people thought this was sad, while others tried to make things right and make them get together.

Josie saw her chance. Alyssa was grabbing a drink, and so was John. (Obviously following her.) Apologizing to Lucas for leaving for just a split second, she went over and whispered words of encouragement in John's ear.

"Alyssa likes you back, John. Go for it!"

John stared at Josie, then nodded. Josie grinned and walked back over to a waiting Lucas, who immediately began to dance with her again.

"Attempting to get them together again?" Lucas whispered in her ear.

Josie nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. Dancing, Josie knew that, even if there hadn't been a reason not to pick Vaughn, she still, eventually, would have picked Lucas.

He's so sweet. He never asks anything of me, and he accepts what I do without question. He genuinely loves me, and I love him. More than he will ever know, or e able to imagine Maybe I'll be able to express it in words, maybe I won't. there are no words that describe what I'm feeling right now. Love, yes. Affection, definitely. Passion, duh. But what I feel is bigger than that. And I can't express it in words.

(1,333 Words) I've been in Health WAY too long… Anyway, if any of my loyal reviewers love Harry Potter (like me) and support R/Hr (like me) go read my new story! (by me) XD