ATTENTION: THE AUTHOR IS POSTING THE LAST CHAPTER ON MAY 5. TO THANK ALL THOSE WHO HAVE READ HER STORY, SHE IS ALLOWING THE ENTIRE STORY TO BE PUBLISHED UNTIL MAY 22.

THIS BOOK OR ANY PORTION THEREOF MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM WITHOUT PERMISSION. THE SCANNING, UPLOADING, AND DISTRIBUTION OF THIS BOOK VIA THE INTERNET OR VIA ANY OTHER MEANS WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER IS ILLEGAL AND PUNISHABLE BY LAW.

REGINA WALKED OUT OF DR. WHALEN'S office with a heaviness that clouded her mind. The results were amazing and devastating. With a heavy heart, she tried to keep it together when Robin stood to take her hand. "So?"

"Like I said, it was nothing. Just some low blood sugar." It wasn't a complete lie; her sugars had been low. In fact, they'd been a bit lower than the doctor would've liked.

"What do they recommend?" His concern and sweetness nearly made her cry.

"I guess they said to eat more regularly and add some snacks. I'm fine, really." She was anything but fine. Her head was screaming, her heart was pounding. Her hands were shaking when she adjusted her purse over her shoulder. To hide it, she slid them in the pocket of her jacket.

As they walked down the hall, she took the first escape and took a step toward the bathroom. "I'll meet you down there."

When he walked off, she slipped inside, walked into the large handicap stall, and sunk to the floor. Fiddling with her purse, she pulled out her phone.

Maggie answered on the second ring, "Regina?"

"Maggie."

"What's wrong?"

"It's bad, Mags. I…"

"Calm down. Take a deep breath before you hyperventilate."

Listening to her friend, Regina took in a breath too shallowly and let it out in a huff. She tried again until she'd taken a few deep breaths. "I'm okay."

"Better. What's going on?"

When she unloaded on Maggie, she felt better but by no means less upset. "What am I gonna do?"

"Tell Robin."

"No, I can't do that. Not right now. It's not the best time, Maggie."

"When the hell is going to be a good time to tell him something like this?"

"His dad is dying. Who would I be to add to his worries? He has enough to deal with. I can't hurt him."

"Regina, I love you. I love you more than anything, but you have to tell him. It's your life and he's apart of it. He has to know."

"I'm scared." Her voice trembled.

"I know. You'll come home and you'll talk to your doctor and you'll figure out what comes next. You have to move from one step to the next. You don't know what they'll say. You have to consider all the options. Before you do that, you have to tell him."

Shaking, she sighed, "I don't know if I can tell him. Maggie his father is dying, I can't tell him my medical woes. He'll lose it. He's fragile. More than he lets on. He's a mess. He's already losing his father. What if I…"

"Don't think like that. Don't you dare." Regina could hear the fear and the tears in her voice. "I'm not losing you. You don't get to think like that. Tell him. You have to tell him, or you have to walk away."

"But—"

"No. It's that simple. If you love him, you have to tell him. He'll be there for you. You need someone right now. You can't do it alone. Promise me."

Wiping her tears, she closed her eyes in defeat. "I promise. I just need some time. I'll tell him when we get home."

"Regina. You're gonna hold this in for that long? Don't you think he deserves to know?"

"It's a lot for me. I didn't think that I'd be here. That this could happen that I'd hear this news. I'm not equipped to handle it. I hate hospitals and doctors and tests. I'm afraid."

Maggie sighed, "Regina. Listen to me. You have more than one reason to tell him what's going on. If you don't tell him about you being sick, you at least have to tell him the other."

"I can't do that," she sobbed. "There's a chance that it won't be an issue in a month. I don't know." They both cried together a minute for the fear, for the potential loss. For the future that she no longer knew the answers to.

"I'm so sorry." Maggie soothed.

"It's more than that. I can't help Jordan now. It's not possible. How do I tell him this and that? It's just too much. Amelia is going to be devastated. She was counting on it."

"You'll explain it to her. She'll understand. If you can't tell him, could you tell her?"

"I…yes, I could. But I don't want to. They've been through so much."

"So, have you. Don't do this alone."

"I have you."

"Regina, you know what I mean. If this was me, would you tell me to tell David?"

"Of course, I would." Regina sighed in annoyance.

"Tell her first. Then, maybe she'll give you advice on how to tell him."

AMELIA RAN INTO REGINA IN THE HALLWAY outside of Jordan's room. She stopped and saw how pale she looked. Her eyes were blank, her cheeks red from tears. Glancing in at her two men, Robin turned to her and smiled.

Amelia took her hand and led her away, "You've been crying. What did he say?"

Her hand shook in Amelia's, "I'm so sorry." Tears fell down her cheeks, her lips trembled.

"For what?" They stopped near the window overlooking the front entrance.

"I hate to ask this of you, again." Pausing, they met eyes, "You can't tell him."

Amelia edged her toward a bench, "Sit down." They sat and she kept a hold of Regina's hand. "What's going on?"

Regina pulled out the papers Dr. Whalen had given her and handed them over to her. Amelia took them and scanned the paperwork. Her heart leaped for joy but her stomach plummeted when she turned the page. "Oh," her hand came to her mouth in shock.

"Please, don't tell him. I can't."

Amelia set aside the papers and took her into her arms, "Oh, Regina. Oh, my precious girl."

"I'm scared."

"I know. Oh, shh." She soothed her and took the time to hold on to her so tightly. Regina clung to her like a young child. "What did you tell you?"

Regina sighed, folded the papers, and put them away. "I have options, but not many. I…they don't know for sure. I have to get more extensive bloodwork before they can figure out what comes next."

"There's still hope. There are so many advanced specialists these days dealing with this type of thing."

"I know. They said they caught it early so that's in my favor." She took a deep breath. "I watched my father die from cancer. It ate him alive in front of me." She turned her head to meet Amelia's eyes. "I won't do that to Robin. I won't put him through that."

"Regina." She took her hand firmly in hers. "He loves you with all his heart. It'll wreck him, sure. Life isn't easy. But it'll wreck him more if you don't tell him and he wonders what he did. It's early. You're young and strong. You'll beat this. I know you will."

"At what cost?"

Her stomach twisted, "Only the Lord knows what's best. You have to tell him. Let him make up his own mind about this."

"I don't know if I can. He…he deserves everything. I wish I could give him that. It breaks my heart that I can't."

"You don't know that. You're thinking like your future is already decided. How do you know? You have to look ahead. IF you love him, he's your partner. In good times and in bad. In sickness and in health."

"We're not married."

"You may as well be. He's already dedicated his life to you, you're tied. This binds it."

Regina rose to her feet and crossed her arms, "Dr. Whalen said within a month…it's possible that I can't…It won't…"

"I want you to tell him. I'm firm on this."

"Amelia."

"No. You've run long enough." She surged to her feet. "You can't run anymore, honey. You've found your match. When he finds out, and if you won't tell him I will, he won't let you shake him loose."

"You'd do that?"

"Damn right, I would. He gets that stubborn streak from me. Now, you take a few minutes to gather yourself. I'm going down to get him. You will tell him. Hear me?"

Tears fell down her cheeks, "Yes, ma'am."

Amelia gathered her into her arms, "I love you, dear. Tell him about what you were going to do for my Jordan too. It's time you tell him that secret too."

Amelia walked down the hall with her hand to her chest. The ache under it was for herself, her husband, her son, and her daughter. The woman was hers now too.

ROBIN FOUND HER SITTING ON THE BENCH by the window. Her arms were crossed over her, she was crying. "Hey." He kissed her temple, put an arm around her. "Mom said you needed to talk to me."

"Yea," her voice was dull. "I've been lying to you."

He kept his eyes on her face, hers were staring off outside. "About?"

"It broke my heart what your dad is going through. Being here brings back the time I spent taking care of my father. I didn't want you to watch your father die like I did. I'm ashamed that I made your mother keep my secret. That we've been lying to protect it. I didn't want to get your hopes up and disappoint you."

"What are you talking about?"

"I've been seeing Dr. Whalen since we arrived in London. I've taken blood tests."

"Why?"

"They were testing me to see if I was a match for him."

"Regina." His heart tightened. "You did that for me?" He didn't know what to say. His father meant the world to him and to know that the woman he loved would do this for him…it only proved that she was every bit the woman he wanted to spend his life with.

"Yes." The look on her face, the tears, it puzzled him why she looked so wrecked about it. "I was a match. The first test was fine. I did another one right before Christmas."

"Okay," he said carefully. A sudden heaviness was in his gut. The back of his neck pinched; he felt an itch between his shoulder blades.

"I lied to you this morning. It wasn't nothing," she wiped her eyes.

He tightened his arms around her, turned her. "What's wrong?"

"Before I tell you, I want you to know that you can walk away." She took a deep breath. "I wouldn't blame you. I won't make you feel bad or expect you to stay."

"Regina, you're worrying me. I'm not going anywhere."

"No," she turned and met his eyes for the first time. He saw agony and despair. "I need you to listen to me. There comes a time in a relationship when there are just things that are too hard to deal with. That you can't deal with. There's no shame in it. We've known each other for a short time."

He felt his heart beating loudly, his skin itched. Panic clawed up his throat, "Why are you doing this?"

"I want you to promise me that if you want to walk away, you'll tell me." Tears were falling freely down her cheeks. "Promise me. You've always been open and honest with me. I need you to keep doing that."

He swallowed, "I promise." He felt his throat closing, too thick to speak.

She turned her head, tried to free his hands from her. "I need to get up."

Reluctantly, he released her, and she rose, turned her back to him, and wrapped her arms around herself. He stayed seated.

"I can't be a donor for your father. I'm sorry," she began. "I wanted to give you more time, but I can't." He couldn't speak. "This morning, Dr. Whalen told me that I have ductile carcinoma. Breast cancer." His heart dropped into his stomach. He wanted to reach out to gather her close, but he couldn't move. He was frozen in grief.

"Given that they wouldn't have caught it without these tests, he told me it's early. I have time and some options."

"I…" Words failed him. The woman in front of him was alive, breathing, beautiful. He wanted to marry her, spend a life with her, grow old with her. "Regina, come here."

"I'm not done." Her voice was thicker, tears were streaming down her face, her body shook from silent sobs. He stood and went to her. When he reached out to take her into his arms, she jerked away. "No, don't touch me."

He dropped his arms as if she'd slapped him. The rejection and pain stunned him.

"I'm sorry. Let me finish."

He nodded and stood back. He watched her compose herself expertly. Her body was so rigid and tight, he thought she'd snap in two. The veins in her temples were bursting out of her head, her face was pale. Closing her eyes, she said, "This next part is going to be hard to hear and I'm so sorry."

"Harder than hearing you're sick? I'm already devastated. Anything you tell me can't be worse than this."

"Yes, it can. It is worse because it's what I've wanted my entire life and I can't even enjoy it because it's not going to last."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not fair. I'm a good person. I've spent my life helping others and trying to make others lives matter. To share myself with people in my work. I don't deserve this."

"Regina," he said softly. Her body convulsed, she was near a breakdown. "Tell me. I'm right here."

"But you won't be when I say this." And that, he thought was the crux of it. When she was desperate, upset, and sick, she expected him to walk out on her. Why? Because she was sick? What kind of putz would that make him?

He was so deeply in love with her. He'd do anything for her including sticking by her when she was sick. It wasn't a hard choice. He was sticking.

"I'm getting tired of you trying to chase me off. You think that low of me?"

"No."

"You need to get over this. It's all in the past and I'm done being patient. I don't horde my failures with Greta over you. You just keep expecting me to walk away like everyone else has. I'm not them, Regina. So, you're gonna have to deal with it."

He walked to her, took her into his arms, "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere because I love you. I'm in love with you. You are my heart. Don't you get it?"

"I'm pregnant."

"And another thing, you can't just—What?" He snapped his head back when he heard what she'd said. To clear his mind, to hear it again, he asked, "What?"

Her cheeks were wet, her lips trembled, "I'm pregnant."

The silence that held was palpable. They stared at one another without a word, without a breath for moments. His fingers dug into her hips a little too harshly. The world seemed to stop for him and all the information she'd just told him hit him like a ton of bricks. He felt nauseous.

"What does…what are you…how could…the…I…" He swallowed and tried again. "What does this mean? I mean in terms of you being sick."

She closed her eyes, "Dr. Whalen says that there's a high chance that it won't survive the next month. There's nothing that he can do." Her hands trembled and were freezing.

"You thought I'd walk away and leave you to deal with this on your own?"

Her eyes opened and locked on him. "You've had enough to deal with. You've already been hurt, Robin. Your father, Greta. I won't let you watch me die. I don't want to watch you lose another child. It's not fair."

"Stop it," he shook her. "Shut up," he sobbed. He grabbed her face in desperation. "You are not going to die. Do you hear me? I don't care what we have to do, I won't lose you."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do." He crushed her to him and held her tightly. "We'll figure it out. We'll do what we need to do."

"I'm sorry," she sobbed into his chest.

"It's not your fault. I can't believe this." He pressed a hand to her belly, "I didn't think we'd try for another year, but I'm happy."

"Don't be happy, it won't last." She shoved him back a bit.

"Negativity isn't allowed. You hear me? We're gonna be positive and I'm gonna help you. I'm gonna be there for you. I'm not walking away. Never. Do you hear me?"

Nodding, she closed her eyes. "I'm scared."

"I'm terrified," he admitted. "Marry me."

Her eyes snapped open, "What?"

"It's the most awful time to ask you, to lay it out, but this is the most raw and real I've ever felt in my life. Our life is real and raw, and I can't think of a better time to ask you to marry me. To tell you that I'm gonna be here. That I want to be and that I'm all in. You're my life, Regina."

"This is ridiculous."

"Only if you say no. Don't tell me maybe. Say yes."

"You can't just ask me like this."

"Why not? Your face is wet, you've been crying, you've just told me the worst and the best news you're ever going to tell me. And I'm standing here just as raw and upset and happy. I want this." He put his hand over her heart. "Give it to me."

"Robin."

"Marry me, Regina. Let me be there for you. Let us raise this life together and figure out what comes next."

"You're nuts."

"Yes, I am. Say yes."

"I'd be crazy not to."

They wrapped around each other in a long hug. "I love you so much." He lifted his head and kissed her softly. "Say yes."

"Yes." He wrapped her close and buried his face in her hair and they wept.