Izzie sat outside Denny's old room, which was now occupied by a lung-cancer patient. Sitting in the row of plastic chairs that lined the wall of Denny's old room, Izzie was surprised when she looked up and saw Caitlin standing before a drinks machine. Izzie continued to stare, and after five minutes stood up and walked toward her.

"Caitlin?"

She blinked and turned to Izzie.

"Dr Stevens" she mumbled.

Caitlin's eyes were stinging and her hands trembling, "do you want to come and sit down with me…?" Izzie asked.

Without saying a word Caitlin slowly followed Izzie toward the row of visitor's chairs and took a seat beside her.

"Getting scared?" Izzie asked, and Caitlin nodded.

"Ayden is young and strong, he has a good chance of…" Izzie began, but Caitlin quietly stopped her.

"He thinks he's going to die" she said simply.

"Well that's just…" Izzie started.

"All year he's been building me up for it, telling me all these things…" she trailed off, and Izzie couldn't understand what she was saying.

Finally Caitlin stopped mumbling and looked around her, "why were you sitting here?" she asked.

"I didn't think you had noticed me" Izzie replied.

"I did… so, why here?"

"I knew someone who used to…" Izzie motioned behind her, "… he was a patient in that room"

"Did he die?"

"He did"

"Sorry"

"It's ok"

"Do you mean that?" Caitlin asked, without missing a beat.

Izzie stared into her blue eyes for only a moment before giving a small shake of her head, "nope".

"Have you ever seen that movie 'when Harry met Sally'?" Caitlin asked.

Izzie forced a small smile, "I'll have what she's having…"

Caitlin nodded and continued, "there's this one really cheesy line that Billy Crystal says to Meg Ryan, something about when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible…" Caitlin sighed and looked down at her hands, "that's how I thought about Ayden and me...except he thought the rest of his life was one year"

"Is that why you two ran away?" Izzie prodded.

Caitlin nodded. "Well, that was Ayden. He didn't want to stay and get worse and worse, have to depend on everyone and finally just waste away…"

"That's understandable"

"I shouldn't have given him that Jack Kerouac book last Christmas…but he was hell-bent on an American road trip"

Izzie gave a little laugh, and was quiet for a moment before asking: "how did he convince you to go with him?"

She looked up, "it was Ayden" she said simply, "I don't know how to say no to him…I never have, not since we were kids growing up across the street from each other… I can't say no to him, especially when he's telling me that he's going to die and wants to spend the last year of his life with me"

Izzie gave a small smile, "that would be a hard offer to pass up"

"As romantic as that offer was… I'm mad at him for leaving, for not staying and trying to get better…"

Izzie let out a sigh and looked up and down the hospital corridor before continuing, "I should probably be on the side of science for this one, but I don't think Ayden would be in as good condition as he is right now if it weren't for you…" she sighed and continued, "maybe he was right. Maybe chemo would have only made him weak and he would have died in less than a year. Maybe not. But regardless, he wanted to be with only one person this year… that's pretty amazing" Izzie looked down at her hands, feeling Caitlin's eyes on her now, "and take it from someone who knows; at least you had him all to yourself for a little while… that's better than nothing".

"Maybe" Caitlin nodded, "but trying then would have been better than dying now"

Izzie let out a sigh, unsure of how to go on talking about things that were too close to her own heart. "However angry you are at Ayden for his choices, I think you should be with him now…"

"Incase everything he's been saying this past year turns out to be right?"

Izzie nodded, "just be with him, that seems to be all he's ever wanted from you…"

Caitlin slowly rose to her feet, and looked down at Izzie. "Ayden can't promise me anything tomorrow, but you can" she said carefully, "can you promise me he'll be okay tomorrow?"

"I really can't"