Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: So, that was a fun chapter. :D Anyway, this chapter finally has Troy getting diagnosed. Forgive me with the disease if it doesn't completely match the symptoms. I mostly picked everything up from ER and House and some from my dad. So, here it is! Chapter 5!

Oh, and if you were wondering, yes, Dr. Carter is a tribute to ER. If you've seen old school ER and new ER, think Ray mixed with season 5-6 Carter and you get Dr. Carter.

LOL, enjoy!

Oh, and Troy's mom is named Kellie in this one too.

Dr. Carter brought them to the hallway outside Troy's room. Pausing, he turned to face them.

"What's going on?" Jack asked, his voice betraying his anxiety. Kellie was gripping his hand tightly.

"Troy's white blood cell count came rather high. This could mean a number of things, including an infection or a type of disease, or even cancer. However, given Troy's recent weakness-"

"What are you talking about?" Jack broke in angrily. "What 'weakness'?"

Dr. Carter paused, looking oddly at the two. "Troy's friend told us that he had been experiencing shortness of breath and severe headaches for the last month. He never-"

"No, he never said anything," Kellie half-whispered, clutching Jack's hand even tighter. The doctor sighed.

"Anyway, given the other symptoms he's displayed, we're currently leaning toward the cancer side."

"What?"

"I've paged the oncologist; she should be down soon to see him. In the meantime I can let you sit with Troy-"

"Wait, are you telling us he has cancer?" Jack broke in, as Kellie began to cut off the circulation in his hand.

"I'm telling you that we think it's a possibility, Dr. Wilson will be able to better determine-"

"Oh, my God," Kellie whispered, tears springing into her eyes. Jack wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"So you don't know anything? For all you know it could be an infection, right?"

"Yes, that's a possibility, but, given-"

"He doesn't have cancer," Jack stated firmly, clearly struggling to come to terms with what the doctor had said. "He can't."

"Mr. Bolton-"

"My son does not have cancer."

"Jack-"

The conversation was interrupted when a tall, thin brunette walked up, her ponytail swishing across her back rhythmically as she walked. The pocket of her white lab coat read Dr. Angela Wilson, Pediatric Oncology. She held out her hand to Dr. Carter.

"I got your page, Dr. Wilson, Pedes Oncology."

Dr. Carter nodded, then motioned to Troy's parents.

"Jack and Kellie Bolton, Troy's parents. I was just briefing the-"

"Can you tell us if our son has cancer?" Jack spat, unable to keep the frustration from his voice.

"I can try," Dr. Wilson said, keeping her voice even. She was skilled at dealing with pushy parents. Turning to Dr. Carter, she took the chart he offered her. "What room?"

"Exam 2. He just woke up about half an hour ago."

She nodded, and turned toward Troy's room. Jack and Kellie made to follow, but she held up her hand.

"I'd like to examine him alone, then we can let you in to see him. It could be too stressful-"

"I just want to see my son," Jack said angrily, not removing his arm from Kellie's shoulders.

"Please, Jack, calm down. Troy will be fine," Kellie soothed, placing her hand on his arm to placate him.

"I promise, Mr. Bolton, that I will do whatever I can to help your son. I need you to back off first, so I can work."

"But-" Before Jack could finish his protest, Dr. Wilson had turned and walked down the hallway, leaving Kellie to pull Jack back into the waiting room.

"How is he?" Gabriella asked, standing up when she noticed the identical worried expressions Troy's parents wore.

"We didn't get to see him, they were about to examine him," Kellie said gently, sitting next to Chad. Jack refused to sit, choosing instead to pace the room.

"Can they do that?" Chad asked, his face drawn from the long hours he had already waited.

"Apparently. There was something on his blood test that they wanted to double check."

"Something like what?" Gabriella asked quickly, the color draining from her face.

Kellie sighed. "I don't want to worry you until we know for sure what's going on."

"Mrs. Bolton-"

Gabriella's sentence was cut off when Dr. Wilson walked over to them.

"Well?" Jack asked impatiently, stopping his movement as he came to stand next to his wife.

"I want to run a biopsy on his bone marrow to confirm, but all of the findings seem to point toward leukemia."

Gabriella gasped, sinking into her chair as Chad stared blankly at the doctor. Kellie's hand flew to her mouth as she clutched her husband's arm convulsively.

Gabriella sat at Troy's feet, absently tucking in the blankets around his feet. They were in a private room on the Oncology floor, anxiously awaiting the results of Troy's biopsy. Chad was sitting in the chair by the door, and Troy's parents were both sitting by his side. Troy himself was staring absently at the ceiling his face pale.

"Troy, how are you feeling?" Gabriella asked, placing her hand on his thigh to comfort him.

"Fine," he grunted, not looking at her.

"Sweetie, please talk to us," Kellie whispered, brushing back his hair.

"'Bout what?"

"Troy-"

A knock at the door preceded the entrance of Dr. Wilson. Every pair of eyes in the room turned to her.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, holding the papers in her hands out to Troy's parents.

Troy looked as though someone had punched him in the gut. He looked at his parents, then back to the doctor, then back to his parents.

"So it's true. I have-" he paused, clearly struggling to wrap his mind around the idea. "C-cancer?"

Dr. Wilson nodded, her expression grim. "I'm sorry, Troy. Leukemia."

Gabriella cried out, burying her face in the blankets on Troy's legs. Chad cursed softly, his head in his hands. Kellie collapsed slightly, only Jack's grip keeping her from falling to the ground. She clutched at his shirt, crying openly.

"I know this seems soon, but we need to discuss treatment options," Dr. Wilson said, trying to ignore the grief that she was witnessing.

"Can-can you give us a minute?" Jack asked, his voice filled with emotion.

"Of course. I'll be back in a few." Dr. Wilson left the room, and Jack sat Kellie down on the chair, letting her fall forward to lean against Troy's bed. Troy himself was twisting his fingers in the sheets, clearly grappling with his feelings.

"Troy," Jack began, looking at his son as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. "Troy-"

"Dad, not now. Tell Dr. Wilson to come back, we need to know how I'm going to beat this."

Kellie's head lifted at the sudden determination in Troy's voice, as did Gabriella and Chad's.

"I'm going to beat this," he said firmly, looking each one in the eye.

Jack nodded, then went into the hall and came back with the doctor.

"What are the options?" Troy asked, ironically the most level-headed person in the room.

Dr. Wilson smiled, noticing that Troy was taking the initiative, not allowing himself any time for pity.

"Leukemia is a very common form of cancer, and is very treatable. Unfortunately, your case seems to be slightly more complicated. It appears that the condition went untreated for several years, which explains why it got so bad this past month. The cancer cells have begun to metastasize, or spread. Basically, at this point our best bet is chemotherapy. I've gotten in touch with Dr. Michaels at Albuquerque General, he'll be able to further discuss treatment plans with you. I'm a little reluctant to get into too much detail because I'm not going to be Troy's oncologist. Dr. Michaels is ready to meet you tomorrow, when you get back to New Mexico."

She stopped, letting the information sink in.

"I know this is a lot to handle, but it is imperative that you act quickly. I would suggest getting to Dr. Michaels as soon as possible, so you can start treatments as soon as possible."

"What are the odds?" Jack asked quietly, voicing the question written in Troy's face.

"Without treatment at all, there's about almost a 100 chance that Troy will die. With a substantial delay in treatment, it's about 50-50. However, if you act quickly, the odds increase to 80-20. It is extremely likely that Troy will beat this if you act now."

Jack nodded, and sank back in his chair. Dr. Wilson looked around at each person, sitting shell-shocked around Troy.

"I'll leave you to talk, but please, don't hesitate to ask anything." With that, Dr. Wilson left the room, leaving the five in silence.

A/N: hehe…that was fun. not. Once again, I'm not 100 sure about symptoms/treatments, but it doesn't really matter in the long run. Anyway, reviews greatly appreciated, as always!

P.S.-Yes, that was a homage to House. Dr. Wilson…five points if you guessed that! lol

Coming in Chapter 6: They deal. And Troy starts treatments. And starts puking all over the place...j/k :D