Disclaimer: Like I said, no ownership.
Chapter One
Allison Cameron rushed around her house, picking up things as she went along, keys, glasses, jacket, handbag, purse. Pausing in the living room she pulled on her boots, standing up she opened the door and turned her head to the stairs.
"Lilley! Chris! Come on, we're going to be late." She smiled as she heard the patter of feet above her and saw her two eight-year-old children come down the stairs. Her son Chris looked at her and pointed to the t-shirt Lilley was wearing.
"She stole my top, that's my The Who shirt." Lilley jumped the last few stairs and grabbed her school bag.
"No I did not, anyway you ripped my Queen top, and so you owe me a shirt technically."
Chris pointed his finger at her grinning. "Ah ha! So you admit it, that is my shirt."
Lilley rolled her eyes and walked out to the car. "Did I say that? No!" Chris followed her climbing in beside his sister in order to continue the argument. Allison watched her children with a grin on her own face and shut the door muttering.
"Good morning mum, how are you this morning? Well I'm just fine thank you, and yourselves?" Her face screwed up as she heard the sudden blast of sound coming from her car, turning she faced the car and saw an apologetic Lilley leaning into the front to turn down the music. Smiling she made her way to the car and got into the drivers seat, she checked that both Lilley and Chris had their safety belts on before pulling out the driveway and setting off.
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"I see a little silhouetto of a man,
Scaramouche, Scaramouche will you do the Fandango-
Thunderbolt and lightning-very very frightening me-
Galileo, Galileo,
Galileo Galileo
Galileo figaro-Magnifico-
But I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me-
He's just a poor boy from a poor family"
Allison couldn't help laughing as she watched the two children in the back seat dramatise the song they were singing very loudly. Thursday mornings were always fun, it was close enough to the weekend to get the children excited. The song reached the guitar solo and Allison stole a glance in the mirror and as she had expected saw her two children playing the air guitar with their faces screwed up tightly the lips making the appropriate noises. Pulling up in front of the school she leant forward and hit the pause button and heard groans of protest from the back seat.
"I'm sorry, here we are. Get out and go learn." She turned in her seat to face them.
"Mum that's the best bit and you just turned it off." Chris wailed. Lilley shook her head and muttered sadly.
"Cut down in its prime. Tragic."
Allison laughed and grabbed her children's faces for a kiss. "Go on you two. Off with you. Go get an education." Lilley and Chris smiled at their mum giving her a kiss before jumping out the car and making the way up the steps to school. Allison watched from the window as Chris pushed Lilley in the shoulder making her stumble before running off. Lilley gathered her balance before following him in fast pursuit. Sighing with happiness she pulled out and began to drive to work.
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Arriving at work she grabbed her bag and quickly checked her reflection in the mirror before walking into the hospital.
"Good morning." She greeted people as she passed, heading for the stairs she ran up the four flights of stairs to her office. Collapsing in a chair she smiled at the young man who slid a coffee in front of her.
"Thanks Jonathon." He smiled sliding into the chair opposite her.
"Still running up them stairs? You're going to kill yourself one day."
"It keeps me fit." She smiled sipping her coffee. "Ahhh."
"Running after your two kids keeps you fit enough Allison." He looked at her and shook his head with a grin. Allison looked at him, he reminded her a lot of her old colleague Chase. Same blonde hair, a bit shorter, blue eyes, lovely cheek bones, only difference were about five years age difference. Her eyes travelled onto her desk and she saw a brown envelope staring up at her, she quickly looked at Jonathon again.
"Is this…" She trailed off and he picked up the sentence for her.
"The results? Yeah. Came in this morning." He stood up straightening his lab coat. "I'll leave you alone." She thanked him quietly and continued to stare at the envelope, her mind was racing back to that week a few weeks ago.
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Chris had been in bed for a few days, with what she had assumed was the flu. However she woke that Tuesday morning to the screams of Lilley, jumping from her bed she found Lilley on the landing outside her brother's room pointing at Chris. Running forward Allison stopped as she entered the room, Chris looked the same, except for the tears that were streaming down his face and the red bruises covering his upper torso. Her breath caught in her throat.
"Oh God." She strode forward and sat on the edge of his bed and gently touched his chest, she looked into his eyes and saw so much fear it broke her heart.
"Mummy, what's wrong with me?" Tears sprung to her eyes but she didn't let them fall.
"Shush, nothing sweetie, your going to be fine." Turning to Lilley she swallowed and said. "Lilley!" The little girl stood frozen staring at the bruises; Allison found the tears were stronger now. "Lillianna! Go downstairs and get Mummy's medicine briefcase, Lilley I need you to be a big girl now, Mummy is going to need your help ok?"
Lilley nodded and ran down the stairs to find the briefcase. Allison turned back to Chris and touched his forehead, stroking his hair and cheek.
"Christopher, Mummy's going to give you some pain killers and then she's going to do something called a lumbar puncture, it's going to hurt so your going to have to be brave ok?" The little boy nodded and Lilley returned holding the briefcase. Allison took it off her and gave her son some painkillers then grabbed the stuff she would need for the lumbar puncture.
"Right, Chris I'm going to need you to roll onto your side with your back to me please. Lilley go to the other side of the bed and I'm going to need you to hold your brothers shoulder and make sure he doesn't move too much."
Allison watched as her children did what she had asked, she could see the worry and determination in their faces. Sighing she carefully performed the lumbar puncture, trying to be as professional as she could, but it was difficult when you only have your eight year old daughter for help and its your son who's crying out in pain. Once she completed it she ordered Chris not to move from bed and Lilley to get dressed for school. Picking up the phone in her room she dialled Jonathon's number, after explaining to him what was going on she waited for his answer.
"Allison, of course I'll come baby sit him…but…you know what its likely to be."
Sighing she felt tears in her eyes again. "Yeah Jonathon I know."
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Now with trembling hands she reached out and grasped the envelope picking it up she felt the thickness, a lot of useless information. There was only one sentence that would be important to her, one sentence that could change her life.
Sliding her finger under the seal she ripped it open slowly, pulling out the paper she scanned it quickly. Her hand flew to her mouth and her shoulders began to shake, her life was crumbling. She knew it all along, she shouldn't have been this shocked but she couldn't help it. The tears coursed through her, tormenting her body as she accepted the truth, her son had cancer.
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