Hey, guys, so sorry for the long wait!

I'm working on a few other projects too, so this one was a bit late. Also, I've been sick and in quarantine, so I haven't had time to get up to anything.

But here it is now!

Warning: You may not like it much.

The benefit was looking fantastic.

Caroline didn't like to brag, but she personally thought that she had done an amazing job. Jenna wouldn't be able to find a single thing to criticize. Everything looked perfect.

The lights were all up, not a single one dim, the streamers which Kol had gotten himself tangled up in were somehow not ripped and adorning the trees and stage, and the tables and chairs were thankfully according to her seating chart.

She, Rebekah, Klaus, Kol, and Elijah walked over to the stage, where they were greeted by an excitable Bonnie and a slightly bored-looking Kat, though her face brightened the second she saw Elijah, making Caroline laugh.

"Hi, Care," Bonnie said, beaming. "Everything looks amazing. You really outdid yourself."

"True," said Katherine, licking her index finger. "The cake's amazing too."

Caroline's happy mood suddenly dissipated. "Kat, please don't tell me you took a bite of the cake."

"Of course I didn't," said Katherine, shrugging. "I had a slice of the cake."

"You did what?" Caroline screeched. Not ten seconds had passed since she had arrived, and there were already problems.

"Kat, please tell me you're kidding," Bonnie said, looking at Katherine exasperatedly.

"Of course I'm kidding, Bon," said Kat. "I have a sense of humor," she said, looking at Elijah pointedly, tossing her hair back. Caroline groaned. Apparently, Kat had decided that her benefit was the perfect place to seduce Elijah.

And while Caroline was supportive of the idea of Katherine and Elijah, she did not want to accidently see either of them naked behind the trees like a pair of high schoolers.

She turned to Katherine, narrowing her eyes. "Never do that again, Kat. I'm already nervous."

Kat shrugged. "Yeah, it's fine, don't worry. I'm a very compassionate and accepting person," she said, glancing at Elijah, who now looked faintly amused. Caroline made a face and walked away, looking around and absorbing the perfect nature of the benefit before kat decided to go hurricane Kat and ruin everything. Klaus made his way over to he and kissed her on the shoulder, making her shiver.

"I did tell you how ravishing you looked in that dress at home, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did," Caroline said, trying to keep the shakiness out of her voice. "And even though I appreciate it, I feel the need to remind you that we are outside."

"So?" Klaus asked, kissing her neck. "Must I remind you again of all the fun-filled moments we've had outside, sweetheart? Do you want a reminder? I can show you behind those trees."

"Nice, Nik. Because no one's going to notice if the planner disappears behind the trees with her boyfriend in a tow. People aren't clueless, you know."

"Now, love, don't overestimate the intelligence of these people. That friend of yours…what's her name? the one with the brown hair who looks like your other friend Katerina?"

"Katherine, Nik. How do you even know her real name, anyway?" Caroline asked, unentangling herself from her boyfriend's arms, making him huff irritably.

"Apparently, as she's so taken with Elijah, she told him."

"That bitch," Caroline muttered. "She didn't tell me until after a few months." Klaus cracked a smile and wrapped his arms around her once more, making her smile involuntarily.

"Yes, well, her, what's that other girl's name? Eliana or something of that sort?"

"Elena? Kat's sister?"

"Yes, her. Well, she once told me that she preferred tea over coffee."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "I prefer tea over coffee, Nik."

"Yes, but you're dating me, so I have to accept these things."

"Care to explain why you think Elena's crazy to think that coffee's superior to tea?"

"Because it's not," said Klaus, with the air of explaining to a child that two and two made four. "Tea is obviously much better."

"Says who, Nik?" Caroline asked, grinning.

"The entire population of Europe," Klaus said, in a superior tone. "And if you still don't believe them, ask my family."

"Well, you're in America now, Nik. Best get used to espressos and mochas rather than tea."

"Why?"

"Because you're in Mystic Falls, Virginia!" Caroline said in a mock-enthusiastic tone, making him smile. "The whole American experience!"

"But I like tea."

"Don't be cute. Now let me go, I have to go check on the caterers."

With an audible huff, he removed his arms from her and she walked away, shooting him an apologetic smile.

She caterers, as she had expected, had arrived on time with the proper amount of food which they had been told to bring. Caroline was pleased with their punctuality, and therefore gave them a generous tip.

"Jo, right?" she asked. "Can I keep your number for the future? Parties, weddings, etcetera, etcetera."

"Sure," Jo nodded, then went off, her twin brother and sister following behind her.

An hour into the benefit, Caroline was surprised to find that everything was going according to plan.

"Hi, Dr. Forbes," said a voice behind her, and Caroline turned around to see Annie Lucas smiling at her shyly.

"Hi, Annie. Enjoying the party?"

"Yep. Everything looks amazing. Dr. Sommers told me you were the one organizing it."

"I am. With a lot of help, of course, though. How are you? Is the chemo settling in properly?"

"Yeah," said Annie, fisting the hem of her dress nervously. "It's been a bit hard, but it's been five days, anyway, so my mom and dad said that it was ok for me to come for an hour or two. It's boring in the house, anyway, with Georgia, Chris and Rupert getting in my business all the time. Honestly, can't Chris bring his dates anywhere but the house?"

Caroline fought down the urge to laugh; Annie reminded her of herself when she started rambling. "He'll grow out of it. have you met any of his dates personally?"

"If by personally, you mean have I met them in places other than in Chris's room, then no, no I haven't," said Annie, grumbling.

Caroline laughed, patting her on the back sympathetically.

"And seriously? Can none of the girls actually put some clothes on?" Annie rambled on furiously, her hands on her hips. "Why are they always naked?"

Caroline was tempted to inform Annie Lucas that what her brother was doing with those girls did not require them to be clothed at all, but did not, as she didn't want to scar poor Annie by telling her the truth. Annie could learn about it when she turned fifteen or something.

"You'll understand when you're older," Caroline said, not unaware of the suspicious look that passed over Annie's face. Caroline suddenly caught sight of a boy standing a few feet away from Annie, staring at her with an adoring expression on his face. Caroline recognized him as Theodore Geller, the boy who had been diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, the one who had moved to Mystic Falls a few weeks ago. She had seen Teddy a lot, and he seemed like a quiet, sweet child. His elder sister, Isabella, used to come with him to many of his hospital appointments, and Caroline found that she was, like her brother, an intelligent girl. Teddy, unlike her, however, was a very shy boy. His chemotherapy had started again a few days prior, but he seemed fine and was venturing out like normal. The expression on his face however, was one Caroline recognized as the one Katherine had on her face every time she looked at Elijah Mikaelson.

Theodore Geller was smitten. And it looked like Annie Lucas was the subject of his affections.

Caroline immediately sensed an opportunity to introduce them.

"Teddy, come over here," she said, beckoning Theodore towards them. Teddy went bright red, but shuffled over awkwardly anyway, casting glances towards Annie all the while.

"Annie, this is Theodore Geller, one of my newest patients. He's transferred from New Jersey. Teddy, this is Annie Lucas."

Annie flashed Teddy a bright smile, and Teddy flushed a deep shade of red. "Annie," Annie said primly, holding out a hand. "What's your diagnosis?"

"Hep—hepatoblastoma," Teddy stuttered, and Annie nodded.

"Cancer sucks. I'm thyroid."

"That's…" Teddy trailed off, looking for the right word to describe the situation. "Awful."

Annie, who Caroline always described as a perceptive girl, smirked. Caroline suspected she had figured out the reason Teddy was so nervous. "You want to get some punch, Teddy?"

"P—punch sounds nice," Teddy said, gulping, as Annie cocked her head at him and smiled. She took him by the arm and led him to the snack tables, chattering away, her pale blonde hair swinging in the breeze, while Teddy tried not to trip over his own two feet while looking at her at the same time.

Caroline smiled. Annie and Teddy seemed like polar opposites, with Teddy's shy and quiet nature, and Annie's loud and perky personality. Caroline supposed they would balance each other out quite nicely.

"Caroline!" said Elena's voice from behind her loudly, and Caroline turned around, trying to hide the grimace on her face. Elena stood there, in a pale, salmon dress, clutching Damon's arm like it was a lifeline. "The party looks great, we really outdid ourselves, didn't we?"

No, I outdid myself. You didn't do anything except whine and cry about how things weren't going according to your thoughts.

"Yep," Caroline said, through gritted teeth. "It looks great."

Elena turned to Damon, an adoring expression on her face. "Caroline and I did a lot of work for this to be such a huge success. Bonnie, Kat, and Stefan helped a bit."

If by a bit you mean that they helped out a lot better than you did then yeah, Elena, you're spot on.

Damon looked at Caroline, smirking. "Looks great, Barbie. Nice job. Just one question: where's the booze?"

Caroline breathed out hotly before reminding herself that Stefan would never forgive her if she murdered his big brother. "The champagne will be served in a few minutes. There's no bourbon, if that's what you're thinking."

Damon's face fell slightly, then reverted back to its stupid smirk. "Gotten all the fancy-schmancy stuff, have you, Blondie?"

"Well, this is a nice party, so, yeah, I did," Caroline answered, narrowing her eyes. Elena kissed Damon's cheek, making Caroline suspicious.

"I'm sorry, am I missing something here? Damon said that you two broke up," she asked, looking at Damon, her eyes narrowed.

Damon's smile widened. "Elena and I are back together. Got back together a day after you, me, and Stef had lunch."

Elena smiled, cocking her head to the side angelically. "I love Damon. I shouldn't have broken up with him. But now we're back."

Hm, I'd believe that if it wasn't for the fact that you had given the same speech to him and Stefan a few weeks ago.

Caroline smiled. "That's great for you guys. I'm happy for you."

"How's your relationship, Barbie?" Damon asked, his stupid smirk annoying the hell out of her. "Gotten tired of Klaus yet?"

Stefan's your friend, Stefan's your friend, Stefan's your friend. You absolutely cannot murder his older brother.

"Nope," Caroline said, fuming silently. "Klaus and I are fine. Great, even."

"That's nice," Elena said distractedly, now bored that the conversation wasn't about her. "Have you seen my sister, Caroline?"

"I think she has a date," Caroline said hurriedly. "So I don't think she'll be talking to us that often."

"Katherine has a date?" Elena laughed. "That sounds far-fetched."

Rude.

"Also, I would've known. Katherine and I tell each other everything," Elena said proudly, clutching her handbag to her chest.

I sincerely doubt that. If you didn't know, Katherine isn't that trusting. And with you…well, let's just say Katherine and you don't get along that well most of the time.

Elena, though undeterred, pressed on. "Who's Kat dating?"

"Oh, it isn't dating. I think it's just a first date," Caroline lied, hoping to spare Kat from Elena's persisting company that night when she was trying so hard to seduce Elijah.

"What's his name?" Elena asked, her persistence maddening.

"Elijah," Caroline said stupidly. "Elijah Mikaelson."

Elena looked confused. "Isn't your boyfriend's last name Mikaelson?"

"Klaus," Caroline said irritably. "And yes, it is. Nik's siblings are visiting from Wales."

"Oh," Elena said, then looked at Damon. "Did you know about this? Did Stefan tell you?"

"No," Damon said. "Why would I know? Why would I care?"

"Hm," Elena said primly, and with a flip of her hair, she was gone, her long ponytail swishing behind her.

"The party looks very well put together, Caroline," said Elijah Mikaelson, shaking her hand, Katherine following him not far behind. "It looks splendid."

"Thanks, Elijah," said Caroline, rolling her eyes when Katherine looked at her pleadingly. "And Katherine helped. A lot."

"Is that so, Katerina?" Elijah asked, turning to face Katherine, who blushed furiously. "You did not inform me of that. You've both done a lovely job."

"Thank you," Katherine said in a simpering manner, flashing both Caroline and Elijah bright smiles. Elijah smiled back, reducing Kat to a mess of goofy smiles, and Caroline rolled her eyes, mouthing 'Katerina?' to her best friend, at which Kat simply shrugged.

"You look lovely tonight, Caroline," Elijah said, at which Kat scowled heavily. "Rebekah tells me you two went shopping together with Niklaus."

Katherine choked. "What?"

"Oh, yes, she didn't tell you? Niklaus took both his sister and Caroline shopping."

"Oh," said Katherine. "Rebekah was there?"

Katherine!

"Yes, she was," Elijah said, oblivious to the dark place Katherine's mind had turned shopping into. "They bought lovely dresses, as I can see."

"Hm," Katherine said, looking over at Caroline critically. "That's nice, Care."

Elijah nodded and excused himself, walking over to Kol and Rebekah, who, as expected, were squabbling over something trivial quite loudly. Katherine immediately turned to Caroline, her eyes shining.

"Shopping, eh? With Klaus? Lingerie shopping?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Katherine! Really?" Caroline shrieked. Quietly.

Kat rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be such a prude, Care. Did you, or didn't you?"

"Rebekah was there, Kat," Caroline said tiredly. "We just bought dresses. Nothing scandalous happened."

Well, except for that thing we did in the dressing room, but really, that isn't Katherine's business anyway.

Katherine looked at her, disappointed. "Seriously? Nothing happened? The first shopping trip with the boyfriend's always the hot and scandalous one."

"Oh, my god, Kat, get your head out of the gutter," Caroline groaned. Katherine smiled angelically, turning around and smiling at Elijah, who immediately stumbled and tripped, bumping into Rebekah, earning a furious look from her and a hearty laugh from Kol. Caroline laughed. Kat beamed, turning back to Caroline, and the latter realized that she looked happier than usual.

"You look sprightly," Caroline said sarcastically, earning an eye roll from Katherine. "Is there something going on with Elijah that I don't know about?"

Katherine bit her lip, not even commenting on the sprightly remark. She looked at her shoes, which seemed to have higher heels than usual, these outside even Katherine's comfort zone. She frowned. "Kat, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm ok," Kat said, her voice sounding tired. "I'm just confused."

"About what?"

"About Elijah Mikaelson," Katherine said, her face looking downcast. Caroline frowned.

"What's the problem? I thought you liked him."

"That's the problem, Care," Katherine said, her eyes desperate. "I'm not just attracted to Elijah. I like Elijah. The first time I saw him, I thought he'd be like my other guys, one-night-stand, and boom, I never see him again. But Elijah so much more than that. He's not like the other guys, he's smart, nice, sweet, caring, patient…and I'm scared that I want more from him than just one night. I kind of want everything from him, the whole…" Katherine trailed off, her eyes scared. "Relationship agenda."

Caroline looked at her, taken aback. "Wow. That's serious."

"He gave me his phone number when we went to the caterers," said Kat, kicking a pebble on the ground. "Said I could call him anytime. And I kind of did. A week ago. And it was for a totally innocent reason, when you told me to check on the caterers and I didn't know what to do. So I called Elijah, and he said he'd do it, and after that, we just got to talking. He even came over once, when I invited him over for lunch, and nothing much happened, except that he kissed my hand and thanked me," Kat breathed in sharply. "It felt like the best feeling in the whole world, and I just feel like an idiot because I want more than what I have, and I'm feeling like some high school girl, and I just…" she trailed off, looking downcast.

Caroline put a hand on Katherine's shoulder. "This isn't bad, Kat. It's a good thing. And you aren't stupid. You're just human."

Katherine huffed. "Being human's real inconvenient."

"There's the Kat I know and love," Caroline muttered, before cracking a small smile. "But you should tell Elijah."

Katherine looked at her, her eyes wide. "You think?"

"Yep," Caroline said, gently bumping Kat's shoulder with hers. "And he likes you too, so don't worry."

Katherine smiled at her nervously—a first—and trotted off towards Elijah, who greeted her with a broad smile on his face.

"Hello, Dr. Forbes," said Lu Garcia's voice suddenly, and Caroline smiled at her, at which Lu smiled back angelically.

"Hi, Lu," she said. "Enjoying the party?"

"I had the small cake," Lu replied, tossing back her long, pale blonde hair. "It wasn't bad."

"…thank you?" Caroline asked, not sure how to take the statement.

"You're welcome," Lu said, then quickly pulled out a handkerchief, covering her mouth with it. Caroline was just about to ask what was wrong when Lu dissolved into a fit of coughing and sneezing.

"Lu, are you ok?" Caroline asked, immediately fumbling in her phone for her pager and phone, which she carried with her at all times. "Do you need me to call anyone? Your parents? Do you need to get back to the hospital?"

"No," Lu shook her head, then started coughing again, this time with heaving breaths and gasps. Caroline felt a small stab of panic. Lu, like Annie, was a thyroid patient, and it wasn't good for her to be wheezing like this. Caroline knelt down to Lu's level, gently putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Lu, honey, what's wrong?"

Lu turned to look at her, a slightly scared expression on her face. "My chest hurts."

"Ok, which side?"

Lu pointed to the left side of her sternum. "Left side."

"Lu, where are your parents?" Caroline asked. Lu shrugged.

"They said they had to go out," she said, sitting down on a nearby chair. "I'm here with my cousin Jack."

"Ok, I'm going to take you up to the hospital just for a check-up, ok? We can call your parents later, but I'm just going to run a few tests. It's not going to hurt."

Lu nodded absent-mindedly, adjusting the cannula between her nostrils. "Ok."

"Your parents told me a week ago that they switched your doctor, who is it now?"

"Dr. Mikaelson," Lu answered promptly, and Caroline paused. Klaus was here, but she could also run a few tests on Lu herself. Then again, her parents would prefer that Lu be treated by her regular doctor, and Klaus wouldn't mind being taken away from the party.

Caroline breathed in deeply, placing an arm around Lu's shoulders. "Ok, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to go look for Dr. Mikaelson. While I'm gone, you're just going to have to sit here and wait for me to come back. Where's your cousin?"

"There," Lu said, pointing to a tall, blonde guy a few feet away, talking to Isabelle Geller, who had a serious expression on her face. "I'll call him, Dr. Forbes."

"Ok," Caroline said, and got up. "I'll be back in two minutes." She walked away from Lu, frantically searching the party for Klaus, who seemed to have disappeared. If she couldn't find him withing five minutes, she would have to take Lu back to the paediatric oncology wing and treat her herself. She suddenly spotted Klaus near the trees, a drink in hand and animatedly chatting with a tall, red-headed woman, who was laughing and giggling and putting a hand on Klaus's shoulder every five seconds. Caroline felt a small stab on anger rear up inside her, but pushed it back; now was not the time to be jealous.

She walked over to Klaus and tapped him on the shoulder, making him turn around in surprise, and almost immediately, a grin spread across his face. "Hello, love," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "Come to—" he immediately caught sight of the expression on her face. "What's wrong? Do you need help with anything?"

"Yes," Caroline replied, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the red-headed woman, who shot her and irritated glance. "I need you to run a few tests on Lu Garcia."

Klaus raised an eyebrow. "Right now? Is she alright?"

"I don't know," Caroline admitted. "Lu's not feeling well, she says her left lung hurts, and I need you to run some scans and tests on her."

"Are her parents here?" Klaus asked. Caroline shook her head.

"Her cousin's here." Klaus nodded.

"Where is she?" he asked. Caroline walked to where she had left Lu, and found her where she had left her, sitting on the chair. Lu was in far wore shape than she was before; she was bent over and clutching her chest, her forehead beaded with sweat. Caroline and Klaus rushed over to her, and she toppled into Caroline's arms, clutching her arm like a lifeline.

"I can't breathe," she gasped out. "It feels like my lungs are on fire. It hurts."

Caroline felt a large wave of panic wash over her, and Klaus promptly picked up Lu, bridal-style. "I'll get her to the hospital; you get her cousin," he said, and walked off towards the hospital. Caroline caught sight of Elena, and rushed over to her.

"Tell Kat and Bonnie they have to manage things for a while. I have some work to attend to." Elena stared at her confusedly, but Caroline didn't care less. The benefit could go up in flames for all she cared. She finally found Jack Garcia, Lu's cousin; she grabbed his shoulder, making him turn around in surprise.

"Your sister's in the hospital, you need to come with me," she said shortly, and Lu's cousin's eyes widened, and with a nod, he followed her into the hospital.

"I'll call my aunt and uncle," Jack Garcia said, and pulled out his phone.

The elevator ride upstairs felt like the longest time possible, and Caroline nearly ran to Klaus's office, He wasn't there, so she searched all the rooms, finding Klaus and a few nurses tending to Lu, who was shifting uncomfortably on the bed, her expression terrified. Caroline grabbed a spare lab coat hanging from a nearby chair and followed Klaus into the room, who had just inserted a needle in Lu's chest wall, making her wince. Klaus knelt down to Lu's level, and gently put a hand on her shoulder.

"You'll fell some pain for a short while, but it'll be over soon. The nurses will be staying with you, and I'm just going to step out. Tell them if you need anything, alright? They'll call me."

Lu nodded, her expression still etched with terror. Caroline smiled at Lu, and Lu smiled back, but not before wincing again. Klaus walked out and Caroline followed him into his office. Jack Garcia was sitting outside, and Klaus strode over to him.

"She'll be fine," he said gently, trying to put Jack at ease. "She was in discomfort, but I've set up a procedure, and she should be recovering."

Jack nodded absent-mindedly, and Klaus pulled Caroline into his office. "What's wrong with her?" Caroline asked immediately, and Klaus took a deep breath, rolling up his sleeves.

"Pleural fluid overdose in both lungs. She was lucky to have felt pain in just one, the second one might've followed soon after. The pleural effusion's increased since I last saw her, so she'll need to stay in the hospital for at least three more days. I started a quick thoracentesis, and the nurses will remove the catheter soon, but I'm still keeping her here for a few more days. I've already paged the office to call her family, and they said they would be arriving shortly in twenty minutes or so." Klaus took a deep breath, raking his hands through his curls, rendering them messier than before. He collapsed into his chair, face in his hands. Caroline pulled a chair and sat down next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"How bad is it?" she asked quietly, and Klaus shook his head, his face still obscured by his hands.

"Bad," he answered, lifting his head. "I'll perform a chest x-ray after a while, after the pain subsides slightly, and I just hope that she doesn't have a pneumothorax. She's been through enough." He breathed in deeply, looking at her, his face looking tired, and his blue eyes weary. "Please tell me you have some good news on the Annie Lucas front."

Caroline shook her head, hating the truth. "I'd be lying. She isn't getting better, and the chemo's not affecting her much."

Klaus rubbed his temples, and Caroline looked out the window, seeing the festivities going on in the lawns, feeling sick. The people downstairs were having the time of their lives, while Lu was in the hospital, having difficulty breathing. She was only nine, and she didn't even have her parents with her, and was spending three nights in the hospital. It was unfair, how much she had to suffer.

Caroline and Klaus spent the rest of the night in the hospital, looking after Lu, with Caroline going downstairs every half an hour to check on things and deliver a few half-hearted speeches. The Mikaelson siblings left after dinner, and even though Rebekah told her how fantastically the benefit had turned out, Caroline still couldn't bring a smile on her face. All the guests left at nine-thirty, and a few doctors returned to the hospital to resume work, although all of them left at ten. Caroline and Klaus changed into the spare clothes they kept in their lockers, and spent the night with the night shift doctors, tending to various other sick children, updating parents and completing a bit of paperwork.

Overall, this was not how Caroline had expected the night of the benefit to go.

Caroline left the hospital the next day at nine with a to-go cup of coffee from the hospital, Klaus promising to come home after an hour or so. She collapsed onto her bed immediately after she entered her bedroom, her eyes closing the second her head hit the pillow. She had already informed Alaric that she would be working from home for the rest of the day, but would return to the hospital at seven that evening. Lu's condition had improved slightly since the last night, and Klaus had focused almost all his energy on her yesterday. Her parents, as promised, had arrived twenty minutes later, both hysterical, although they calmed down a bit after Klaus informed them of Lu's condition.

The phone rang suddenly and Caroline groaned, reaching for it, stifling a huff when she saw the caller ID.

"Hi, Matt," she said, making her voice sound sunny.

"Hi, Caroline. It's the quarterback," Matt said, and Caroline laughed half-heartedly.

"I remember. What's up? Is anything wrong? Is your leg ok?"

"Yeah, everything's fine, don't worry. I was just asking, are you free tonight?"

Caroline sighed. "Depends. What's the occasion?"

"My friend's having a party in the new bar that just opened, and I was wondering if you'd like to come?" Matt's voice asked, sounding hopeful.

Caroline's phone suddenly buzzed, and she put Matt on speakerphone, clicking on her messages app. A new message from Klaus was sitting in her inbox, and she opened it, hoping for some good news.

Annie Lucas had a situation. Condition's worsened. She's going in for a lobectomy right now; her doctors said she had no other choice. We need you to come in.

Caroline closed her eyes, putting her face in her hands.

"Caroline?" came Matt's voice. "Are you still with me?"

Caroline reached for the phone, making her voice sound cheerful. "Yeah, I'm here. Sorry, but I don't think I'm going to be able to come today, I have too much work."

"Oh, ok," said Matt, sounding disappointed. "Maybe some other time, then."

"Yeah," said Caroline, trying to keep the tears out of her voice, too tired to tell him that she already had a boyfriend. "Maybe."

She cut the call and placed the phone on her side-table, and looked at herself in the mirror.

Lu was in pain and undergoing a thoracentesis, and Annie was currently in a major surgery, which would result in her losing part of her lung. Theodore Geller had hepatoblastoma, Violet DeLaria had neuroblastoma, Dylan Arnold had gastric, Daniel had melanoma, and Russel Francis had retinoblastoma, and a number of other kids were suffering from a life-threatening disease which could shorten their lives.

For the first time in her life, Caroline doubted her decision to become a pediatric oncologist. Her job was curing kids, but it also included seeing them in tremendous pain and fear of dying.

Caroline did the only thing she could think of do in that moment—she put her face in her hands and cried.

It's awful.

Please don't hate me for writing this. The story couldn't be all fun and games and happiness all the time. It's a Klaroline fic, sure, but it's also a hospital crossover, which means that there are going to be things like this happening.

If this fic related to your personal experiences, please feel free to inform me.

See you soon,

Sophia

OOO