He felt his mother's grip tighten slightly as they listened to the doctor; somehow, she had been so strong through it all even now as she was sat and listened to the terminal diagnosis. It had been coming and they both had known it; with her family history, losing both her grandmother and mother to pancreatic cancer and now here she was. Jay had been a mess, or least he was a mess when she wasn't around, he knew that her time was limited, and she was getting worse by the day and now they had a four-month timeline before the worst happened. He listened as she graciously thanked the doctor for everything that he had done, that he had not failed; always like his mom to comfort in crisis even when she was the one dying. They stood up and Jay shook the man's hand not able to truly meet his eye without showing the defeat he was feeling.

He locked arms with his mother, a woman once strong and upbeat not thin and frail from the round of chemo and radiation that did nothing to help her. She had dropped at least fifty pounds, her hair that used to flow down her shoulders was now gone and her once bright glowing skin was pail and ashen. They were silent walking to the parking garage; they were silent in the car not sure how to say that this was ending that Jay was going to lose the one person in his life that he truly trusted above anyone else. As they finally made it home and he parked the car she reached over for Jay's hand.

"It's going to be okay," She spoke in her calming mother voice. He mustered up a fake smile giving her hand a light squeeze.

"Come on, I'll help you inside." He got out and moved to the other side of the car opening the door for his mother and helping her out. It seemed to be a little more of a struggle every time, her body deteriorating as the cancer ate away at her. He helped her up the stairs to the door and then to the couch where he laid her down before going to the kitchen, by the time he returned she was already fast asleep; he covered her up before exiting to the kitchen again and picking up the phone, the phone rang a few times before he heard his brother's voice answered.

"Hello."

"Will, it's Jay," he glanced into the living room to his sleeping mother. He could feel the pit in his stomach, this was hardly the way he wanted to tell his brother about their mother, over the phone.

"Hey, listen I'm at work, can I call you back,"

"Uh…no Will we really gotta talk, look…"

"Hang on," He was abruptly halted, and, in the background, he could hear Will tell someone he would be with them in a minute. He couldn't help but feel annoyed that something else seemed more important that this call from home when he knew of their mother's condition. "Jay, this is gotta be quick they just asked me to help on an incoming surgery."

"Will, you're gonna have to pass it, this is important." He listened to the silence on the other end of the line.

"Mom," Will finally said.

"Yeah," He rubbed the back of his neck looking back at his mother, she was still laying peacefully on the couch. "Listen we just got back from the hospital Will and…"

"I'll be right there," Will cut him off, calling to someone in the background.

"I'm sorry am I inconveniencing you," Jay asked in annoyance.

"No, no; I'm sorry what did the doctor say Jay?"

"Will, you need to come home." Will was silent as he took in the sudden request or demand.

"How long Jay?"

"Four Months." Will let out a long sigh.

"I can be home in a week, I just need to tie things up here and I will be home."

"A week, Will you need to come home sooner than that," Jay looked back, afraid his raise in tone may have woken his mother up but she was still out like a light.

"I know that Jay, but I have patients I need to hand off and I need to book a flight home."

"She's dying, she has been dying since they told us three months ago and she is going to be gone in four months, every second counts,"

"I know that Jay," Will bit back.

"Will you haven't been here with her except for the five measly days you came home last month."

"Jay, I am trying but I have a job…"

"You have a job and a dying mother," Jay yelled, his focus quickly shifted to his mother who was still asleep despite his outburst. To say he was sick of fighting Will was an understatement, lately it had felt like that was all they were doing. Maybe it was because he was exhausted with his job and taking care of his mother, the long hours and lack of sleep had certainly gotten to him. Then again maybe he was a little envious of Will; that he hadn't had to witness his mother's struggle in the fight. Jay had been there when she was first diagnosed, when she started Chemo and then when she came home and vomited up nothing but bile every day after. He had taken her to every devastating doctors' appointment, helped her with her meds and dealt with the bills which had taken a toll on his paychecks since it was only him now earning. He would do it over and over again for her only, helping her get up, dressing her and cleaning her up; he didn't play the martyr, this was his mother, but he was doing it alone.

After letting out a heavy sigh and after a moment to rein in his emotions he finally spoke again, "I'm tired, Will," he confessed. "I'm tired of fighting, I'm tired of yelling, I'm tired and done because I'm going to be honest this isn't about me." He rubbed a hand over his tired eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose. "The fact of the matter is that in four months or maybe less our mother is going to be dead." As he said it he knew how absolutely morbid it was but he didn't know how else to push this into Will's head. "She will be gone and we wont get her back; there is time now though, there is time now to be with her say your goodbyes even though it's absolutely awful but at least you will be with her." He could hear Will sniffle a little over the line in response.

"You're right, I'm sorry."

"Just come home sooner rather than later."

"I will, I'll go talk to my boss now."

"I will see you soon then."

"Yeah." There was another long pause of awkward silence before Jay spoke again.

"Call me when you can, I love you Will."

"I love you too Jay."

And that was it, eighteen hours later Will was home, their mother was thrilled, it was just what she needed. They spent her final months with her and at the end of the third month they buried their mother and that was the moment that they knew, from then on out it was just the two of them; all the family, minus their alcoholic father, that they had.