Remember me When I'm Gone

A/N: People, I'm sorry for not updating sooner I just didn't have the inspiration to write-I bet you've heard every kind of excuse coming out of my mouth- but it's the truth. Anyway, yellow14 I'll take your advice and start putting A/N in the beginning, end and middle (if necessary) and RachelJohnson and WitchTK, thanks so much for your encouragement it means a lot to me. So, enough blabbing about, on with the story.

Chapter 6:

Caleb was in the park holding hands with Cornelia Hale. They sat on a bench gazing at the sparkly sky that twinkled on the two lovers. Cornelia snuggled closer into Caleb's arms and rested her head on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead lovingly and whispered in her ear "I love you." He lifted her chin and gave her a peck on the lips.

"I love you, too." She said once they pulled apart. After a few more seconds of listening to the crickets' song, Cornelia spoke "Caleb, I…I'm dying. You have to forget about me. Move on with your life without me." He looked at her and saw the life drain away from her eyes; her limp body fell into his arms, lifeless.

Caleb felt someone shake him awake, with such force he almost fell out the bed. "I'm up, I'm up." He said as his eyes focused on the intruder in his room, it was Keira. "Oh, it's just you. I wish you would have woken me up sooner."

"What were you dreaming then?" she asked.

"Nothing, why are you waking me up this early?" Caleb asked as he rubbed the sleep away from his eyes and looked at his alarm clock, it read 8.00am.

"I made you breakfast." She smiled innocently.

"What is it you broke this time?"

"Nothing, I just need a lift to school." She fumbled with her brother's quilt, "I missed the bus again."

"Fine. Just let me have my coffee first." He got out of bed and stretched, "Where's your brother?" he said as he went down the stairs.

"Oh, he's got a major hangover from yesterday's party. Luckily, Mark and I brought him home before he threw up all over himself." Over the past month, Mark and Keira had been going out a lot and were now officially calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend. Once down the stairs, Caleb found bacon and eggs waiting for him on the table, most of the bacon was burnt but it was still edible.

"Mmm…burnt bacon my favorite." He teased.

"Shut it. At least I tried cooking you breakfast." She said with a smile. Caleb ate his breakfast in silence while Keira texted Mark. After Caleb ate, he drove Keira to school where he met with Hayley.

"Hey, babe!" she said as she leaned in from the open window where she gingerly kissed him on the lips.

"Hey." Caleb said as he killed the engine. Keira just rolled her eyes and got out of the car as fast as she could. The last thing she wanted was to be present while her brother was making out with her arch nemesis. But before Keira could close the car door, Caleb called out to her. "Keira, I know it's kinda weird me asking this but can you ask Cornelia if she's fine. I mean, I heard she's been going to the doctor lately, well she told me, and I'm just a little bit worried." He whispered. Being worried about your ex-girlfriend was a bit bizarre but that was just Caleb and it made complete sense to Keira.

As soon as she heard him say that Cornelia told him about the doctor, Keira felt her heart skip a beat. "So, you know about the condition she has?" she asked, curiously.

"What condition?" he asked, completely forgetting Hayley was there.

"What exactly did she tell you?" She said seriously, grasping her books ever so tighter.

"Do you always answer a question with a question?"

"No, but what condition did she say she has?" Now Caleb had gotten out of the car and was standing right next to Keira. Just then, Cornelia walked by with Mark.

"Hey, Keira. We thought you wouldn't show." Mark said as he took her books.

"Yeah, where have you been?" Cornelia asked.

"Cornelia, did you tell Caleb you have l…" Keira began to say but was cut off when Cornelia spoke up.

"NO! I…I mean no. I've just been having some headaches that's all."

"So, you're fine?" Caleb asked.

"Healthy as a horse." She grinned and grabbed Keira by the arm. "C'mon, the bell's about to ring and we wouldn't want to be late like some people." She spat in Hayley's direction.

Hayley just glared at her and grabbed Caleb's hand. "C'mon babe, my friends want to see you." She stiffly dragged him in the other direction while he kept his gaze on Cornelia. She just looked at him in a pained way but what was she supposed to do? Go running after him? No, that'd be too crazy. Besides, he looked happy with Hayley, even though she hated her guts but the good thing was he got over her. After he was out of sight she sharply turned to face Keira. "What were you thinking?! You almost told him I have leukemia." She said completely forgetting Mark was still there. 'Damn it. Now Mark knows too.' She thought bluntly.

"You have leukemia?" he said.

"Now you're the one who told Mark." Keira said.

"Yes, I have leukemia. But don't tell anyone, not even Will, Taranee or Hay Lin." She said as the bell rang, ignoring Keira's comment.

"What about Irma? Does she know?" he said as he started walking to the decorated doors of Sheffield Institute (It was decorated with bows, bells and silver beads since it was almost Christmas).

"Yeah, she knows." Keira said. Now the cat was outta the bag and there was nothing they could do. Almost telling Caleb was a close one but telling Mark was something they couldn't take back.

"But I have a question. Why don't you tell Caleb? I mean, you told him you were going to the doctor so why don't you tell him the truth?" Mark said as he opened his locker. "I mean, if you could tell him about going to the doctor, telling him about the real reason you went to the doctor is more honest in a way, right?"

"It's… complicated." She said, the second bell rang which meant they were now officially late for class. But the good thing was they had to go to the gym because they had their weekly assembly. On the way, they met up with Will, Irma, Taranee and Hay Lin and together they walked to the gym. Every week they've been having assemblies about the ozone layer, recycling and all kinds of stuff about the future of the planet. Sure it was boring but hey, it was still better then normal class. They had no idea what this week's subject was going to be but lately, Irma didn't really care. She had been spacing out a lot, having loss of appetite and this was all because of the secret she promised to keep, it was affecting her a lot and it felt like something was eating her alive. But she had promised and she had to keep that promise no matter how much it pained her.

They entered the gym were the assembly was being held. As boring as they were, everyone liked assemblies. You had an excuse to be late and out of class and you got to sit with your friends so it was like the cafeteria, where the cliques could gather. Best of all, the assemblies were in the gym which meant you could sit wherever you want with whomever you want. The coolest kids got the highest levels of the bleachers where they could ignore the speakers and talk to each other without getting in trouble with the teachers.

So the gang always sat in the middle, they went to the right side furthest from the stage and entered in single file where they found empty seats which positioned them right next to Martin. The assembly began and started talking about giving in the spirit of Christmas. This time of year, the teachers were all trying to convince the students to give more but it rarely ever worked. Before they knew it, the assembly was over and it was time for class. Will and Taranee had Math while Irma and Hay Lin had Art, the others just had study hall so it was kinda of a free lesson but the only problem was, they had a bunch of homework to catch up on.

So, they went to the library. Keira and Mark just kept to the back while Cornelia sped a bit in the front, giving them a bit of privacy to talk to each other. She knew the feeling and really missed it but there was nothing she could do except remember the good, old times and just move on. Once there, they found a table in the corner and started finding reference books on English, Geography, and all the other boring subjects they were taught. Cornelia was the first one to get a stack and begin her English essay about 'The portrait of Dorian Gray'. After an hour of writing and getting books, Cornelia started feeling light headed but she only thought it was because she hadn't eaten anything so she didn't bother telling neither Mark nor Keira. But it was only after she got up to put a few books back that she really started experiencing a lot of pain.

She tried telling Keira but just then, she felt the colour drain from her face and she fainted. When Keira saw this she got up so quickly, she knocked her chair over. She rushed to her side while Mark went to inform the librarian to call 911 since it was a possibility it was the cause of the leukemia.

"Don't worry, Corny we're getting help for you." Keira said, she turned her in the recovery position and quickly texted Irma about what happened.

Meanwhile in Art class:

Irma and Hay Lin, along with the other students, were surrounding a table which has an orange, a couple of apples and a vase full of flowers. They had to paint it as best they could, the stereo was on but still asked the students to switch off their mobile phones. Irma and Hay Lin just turned them on silent because they felt it was better that way.

"Hey, Irma why don't we go and watch 'A Christmas Carol' next Saturday?" Hay Lin asked as she added a few more shadows to the flowers. "I heard Taranee wanted to see it and it looks cool."

"Sure, whatever." She said with a heavy sigh while adding a few strokes to the apples' redness.

"What's wrong with you? Lately, you've been so pessimistic it's not even funny anymore." She put her paintbrush in the glass of water and crossed her arms as she turned and looked at Irma.

"Nothing, I'm just not in the mood for anything lately." She said. During classes she could hardly concentrate on what the teachers were saying and just after the bell would ring she'd start wondering in the hallway until one of her friends would tell her were to go or if they had the same class together, they'd drag her with them to class.

Homework was a complete bust, whenever she opened a textbook all she could think about was Cornelia's sad but brave words; ''Promise me you won't tell anyone about this.'' And whenever she had to go to the Hospital, she kept forgetting her assignments and which patient she was supposed to visit. wasn't pleased with this and neither was she pleased to hear that Irma didn't read the Hospital literature she was assigned to read. To top it all of she wasn't eating anything because she hadn't had the appetite for anything and this really worried her friends. Just then she felt her mobile vibrate against her leg so she took out her I-phone out of her jeans pocket and saw that Keira texted her. It read;

Irma, Cornelia collapsed in the library and we're taking her to the Hospital. I think it's the chemo. You better come too, she's going to need you.

She shoved it back in her jeans pocket and got up from her seat. 'Screw this. I'm fed up painting anyway.' She thought as she went for the door.

"Where do you think you're going ?" asked, her beaded necklace jangling as she walked to where Irma was. For a woman in her late fifties, she moved fast.

"I need to go, my friend's in trouble." She opened the door with such force the handle almost came off. She sped through the corridors, avoiding hall-monitors as she did so, where she went to the front gate. There she found an open ambulance truck and an unconscious Cornelia on a stretcher being dragged inside.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I…I don't know first she was up and walking and before we know it she collapsed." Keira said. She entered the van and waited for Irma to enter too. As soon as Mark was going to enter the paramedic said;

"Only two people can ride with us."

"It's ok, you guys go since you're her best friends I'll stay here and fill the teachers in about what happened. And don't worry I'll keep it a secret." He kissed Keira goodbye and went back inside. Once they closed the doors they sped through the streets to the Franklin Gibbs Memorial Hospital. Once there, they parked and then the doctors took Cornelia away. Keira and Irma got out of the truck and went to talk to the doctors at the doors about what happened.

Once they gave their 'report' they went in the lobby to wait for them to come back. They called Cornelia's parents and she immediately came with Lillian of course since she had no one to take care of her. They explained what happened and took a seat. For the past hour they waited for the doctor and when they thought they couldn't take anymore, Cornelia's doctor came.

"Hi, I'm Cornelia's doctor, . I believe you're her friends." He introduced himself for Irma and Keira and went on, "I believe you're daughter, , passed out from lack of sleep, she was beyond exhausted. We still don't know how she managed to keep going on."

"Yes, doctor she's been having trouble sleeping the past few nights. I've been giving her the pills you subscribed for the pain but it helped only a little." said as she picked up Lillian.

"All we can do is increase the dosage." He said.

"Doc, is my sister going to be ok?" Lillian asked while she twisted a lock of her mother's hair.

"Yes, she's going to be fine." said with a smile, "You can go and see her. She's asleep at the moment but being there with her will make it all the much better."

"Thank you, doctor." said as she followed him to Cornelia's room. Irma and Keira stayed behind since they thought it was more appropriate for to get to see her daughter first. After half an hour came out and told them they could go and see her. She then went back home with Lillian while Irma and Keira kept Cornelia company.

They entered the room and saw the same image they saw the first time they were in here; tubes ran from her nose and arms and an IV tube was strapped to her arm supplying her with more chemo. Her face had no colour and her lips were almost blue. They sat on the chairs that were against the walls and just stayed there in silence for a couple of minutes.

"I can't take it anymore! We've got to tell Caleb about this." Irma whispered over the bed since Keira was on the other side of the room, she pointed to the tubes and such.

"I know but we can't interfere between them." Keira said, even though it pained her to say it, this was between the two of them and if they didn't want no one to interfere who was she to go blabbering about it?

"Don't you feel empty inside? Don't you feel this secret is eating you alive?" she said while she pounded gently on her chest to emphasize more. "I know that if we tell Caleb he'd forgive her and she would be glad we told him."

"I don't know, what if she hated us then? What if she won't trust us after we tell him?"

"First of all she won't hate us and second she's known us for years." Irma said.

"She's known you for years; she's known me for a couple of months." Keira said as she closed the curtains, she figured once Cornelia would wake up she wouldn't want to see bright light.

"In which she's grown to love. C'mon, she considers you a sister she told me so herself." Irma said just then, Cornelia began to wake up.

"Shh, she's waking up." Keira said as she sat back down. "Hey, how are you?" she grabbed her hand and gave it a little squeeze.

"My head hurts." She touched her head and felt it was sore.

"You hit your head hard when you fell, so don't try to get up." Keira explained. Just then, they heard Irma sniffle, they both looked at her and smiled.

"Why are you crying, Irma?" Cornelia said softly.

"I…I just can't stand seeing you like this. I wish you'd get better quickly." She said while she took a tissue from the nightstand.

"If I don't you'd still have the memories we've shared." Cornelia said as she felt her own eyes water.

"Don't say that, you're getting better I can see it." Keira said trying not to burst like a bubble.

"Come here." Cornelia said, they leaned forward and gave here a warm hug. Before they knew it, they were all crying and passing out tissues.

"I think I haven't cried this hard since I lost ." Irma said.

"Who's ?" Cornelia and Keira asked.

"My teddy bear. I lost him when I was 8 years old." Irma said as a matter of factly. Just then they burst out laughing and they forgot about all the bad stuff. After an hour of keeping each other company it was time to go. Irma and Keira went their separate ways while Cornelia began flipping through the channels.

Keira arrived home at 4.30pm. Caleb was sitting on the couch flipping through the channels while Josh was nursing a head cracking headache. She dropped her bag on the floor and took of her coat.

"Hey, I'm home." She said as she hung her coat.

"Hey." They managed to mumble. 'They're not very happy to see me.' She thought.

"You're dinner is in the oven." Caleb said as he turned off the TV and got up from the sofa.

"Nah, I'm not hungry." She slumped on her favorite armchair and kicked her shoes off. "Where are you going?" she said as she saw Caleb put on his shoes.

"I'm taking Hayley to this party, well, she's taking me but you get the picture." He said, as she heard this Keira felt her face go red with anger. He was going out with that… snob while Cornelia was in the hospital.

"Caleb, I need to tell you something." She said, what if she told him about Cornelia's disease? There was no harm in it. "It's kinda important." Now she was going against her beliefs after all, she was the one trying to convince Irma not to tell Caleb about the secret.

"Can it wait? I'm kinda late and I already know she's not going to like this." He put on his denim jacket and said, "Thanks, I knew you'd understand." Then he went out the door and into his car.

Keira just stayed there looking bewildered then she looked at Josh who had his head on the table and said, "This is all your fault." She grabbed a pillow and threw it in his face.

"Hey!" He said as he recovered from the blow. Keira just ignored his protest and continued, "If is wasn't for you stupid plan, Caleb would know by now that Cornelia has leukemia and he'd know that she's in the Hospital with a bunch of tubes and wires attached to her." She yelled.

"She has leukemia?" he said as he lifted his head.

"Yeah, and all this time you've been picking on her and calling her names. You're such a jerk!" Keira yelled as she stormed up the stairs, leaving Josh there feeling like crap.

The noise of the party thundered in Caleb's ears. Everywhere he looked people were laughing and having a good time. But he still felt as if he were set apart from it all, an invisible observer who only had the privilege to see other people having fun. He tried hard to concentrate on what Hayley was saying but there was only so much noise he could take.

"…so then she tells me 'Oh no he didn't' and I said 'Yeah he did' and then Ramona jumped in and said 'Well duh, of course he'd invite you you're the Queen of Popular.' So anyway, next Saturday Reggie is having this big party for all the seniors and he sent invitations to all the cool people and we can bring dates. Of course you popped into my mind the second he said we could bring dates. If you're not busy this Saturday…"

His mind drifted off again, that was the weekend he'd planned to take Cornelia to Meadow Brooks. The last time they'd been there, they had packed a picnic lunch and hiked up stream that fed into a lake for the perfect spot. They discovered, a rock pool shaded by ferns, sweet-smelling pine trees and beautiful oak trees where they could swim in private without a care in the world.

They spent the day dipping into the ice-cold water and getting warm in the sun in each others arms. They talked quietly, planning their future together. Then they kissed and the kissing seemed to go on forever, sweet and delicate like Cornelia herself. He remembered the feel of her bare arms around his neck, her sweet smelling skin and the way she made his heart race. 'I guess everything comes to an end' he thought sadly…

"Caleb, are you listening?" Hayley said, getting impatient by the minute. "Did you hear what I said?" Hayley's voice broke into his thoughts once again.

"Uh… sure I was listening." He lied hoping she'd just shut up. But as he soon found out, she had more to say.

"Oh, yeah? What did I say then?" she crossed her arms in front of her chest and waited for his answer.

Now she was treating him like a child. Who was she to treat him that way? Not even his mother treated him like a kid. "Oh, who cares about some stupid party? All you want to do is show me off to your friends well I've had it! I'm not some guinea pig you take to show and tell." He yelled at her, he was aware of his voice growing louder, rising over the dim sound of the music but he didn't care.

"We're over!" she hissed, her voice giving off venom.

"Babe, we never started." He spun around and walked away, "Try asking one of these chumps if they'd give you a lift 'cause I've got better things to do then drive bitches home." He opened the door and left Hayley gapping with her mouth wide open.

He went over to his car and opened the door. In a funny kind of way, he felt better than he had in weeks. He wasn't going to deny the way he felt about Cornelia any longer. Maybe he wouldn't get her back, but that wasn't going to stop him from loving her. He started the engine and hit the streets back home. After a few minutes he arrived home and pulled in the driveway. He got out, making sure he locked it behind him, and went to the front door. Once opened, he dragged himself upstairs to his room. Opening the door, his thoughts kept lingering to Cornelia; what was she doing? who was she with? is she happy? He slumped on the bed and waited for sleep to take him but sleep never came.

Instead he heard a knock on the door. "Come in." he said, his voice muffled with a pillow. Keira and Irma entered and sat next to him. After she stormed off to her room Keira called Irma and told her to come over so they could talk to Caleb about something important. "Caleb." Keira touched his shoulder gently. "What happened with Hayley? Why are you home so early?"

He laughed a humorless laugh, "I told her she was wasting my time. I left her at the party and then came here. There's no use denying it anymore, I can't stop thinking about Cornelia. I keep wondering who she's with and what she's doing. God, I love her so much!"

"She loves you, too." Irma said gently.

Caleb sat up and said, "That's a joke. She couldn't care less about me and I don't blame her."

Keira shook her head sadly. "You're wrong, Caleb. You don't know how wrong you are. We've talked to Cornelia. She explained everything to us. She…she only broke up with you to protect you." There was a lump so big in her throat it hurt to talk but when she swallowed, it only seemed to get bigger.

"She was only thinking of you." Irma said, trying to comfort him.

"Protect me? From what? She only hurt me more." He said, he saw a guilty look flash across her face. He gripped Keira's arms and held her tight but gentle at the same time. "What's going on, Keira? What did Cornelia tell you?"

"Drive us to the Hospital and we'll explain." Irma said.

"The Hospital? Why the Hospital?" he said as his face whitened.

"Just…trust us." Keira said, she escaped his grip and went to the door. Together they drove to the Hospital. Caleb and Keira in the front while Irma sat in the back holding on for dear life. He was driving with such speed Irma thought the engine would burst into flames. Once they arrived he parked wherever he found space and he was lead by Keira and Irma to where Cornelia was.

They stopped in front of a room which had a half glass wall which continued like a normal wall (A/N: Like the 'Grey's Anatomy' rooms at Seattle Grace Hospital, I'm not very good at describing these kind of rooms) Caleb stared inside and saw a blonde haired woman reading a book.

"Who's that?" Caleb asked.

Keira and Irma looked at each other and Keira proceeded to deliver the news. "Uh…I guess there's no easy way of telling you this, but that's Cornelia. She's sick."

"I mean really sick. She's dying… of leukemia. We only found out by accident. She was in the Hospital for treatment when we volunteered as candy stripers. I'm so sorry Caleb." Irma said as she tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat.

"I'm so sorry, Caleb. I wish we weren't the ones to tell you!" Keira said she gave him a hug and when they pulled apart he raced to the door and opened it.

Cornelia sat alone in her room reading a book her mother brought her earlier in the day. The room was decorated with holly, tinsel and candy canes hanging around the doors. In a corner there was a small Christmas tree decorated with little ornaments. As soon as she closed the book she heard the door open with such force it startled her. It was Caleb, he was making his way to her bed. He gave her a bone crushing hug and kissed her lovingly, it took her breath away. He gave her small pecks until she burst out giggling.

"Caleb, what are you doing here?" she said with a smile, her heart soared with happiness.

"I know, I know everything. Why didn't you tell me?" he knelt down and grabbed her hand, he then kissed it and waited for her answer.

"I was afraid, I didn't want you to see me like this. Caleb, I didn't want you to watch me die. I remember how it was with my dad. Always visiting him and never seeing any good results. I wanted to save you from that pain. I love you too much to let you go through that."

"Nothing could hurt me more than losing you. And imagining you with someone else hurt me even more." Caleb said.

"Oh, Caleb. I never went out with anyone, it hurt me too much. I never stopped loving you. When you thought I was going away to be with my 'lover' I thought this was better." She felt a tear make its way down her cheek

"Don't you know?" he cupped her face and brushed the tear away with his thumb, "I could never be free from loving you, my heart is yours and you mean everything to me. The only thing that can hurt me is you, Cornelia." He kissed her and at that moment she felt whole again. Maybe it was the medication, she didn't know, but she felt weightless and so happy she could fly.

"I missed you." She said.

"Me too." They stayed in each others arms for a couple more minutes and after they pulled apart Caleb said; "Hayley said you were hanging all over some guy at the drugstore. Who was he?"

Cornelia was confused for a moment, but then she remembered who he was talking about. "That day I went to pick up my prescription of pills and the doctor came with me since he's a family friend. When I came out I almost fell and he caught me. I guess it must have looked like I was over him."

Caleb grinned and said, "I hate to think of you going through so much alone. If you told me sooner I would have helped you. Thank God, Keira and Irma had the guts to break their promise."

"They were supposed to keep it a secret." She looked at the glass and saw them looking inside, when they met her gaze they walked out of view.

"I'm glad they did."

"I suppose it's kinda selfish of me but I can't help wanting you to be with me." She said.

"I'm here and I'm not leaving this time." He pulled a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"But I'm leaving you." She said with regret. "Soon I think."

"Keira said you're getting better and we still have time. So for the time being we still have each other. Cornelia, I love you and I never will stop loving you." For the first time in months, Cornelia didn't feel cold instead she felt really warm. She felt Caleb's warm lips brush against hers in a gentle, lingering kiss, she nearly cried out with happiness.

"It's funny," she said after the pulled apart, "I don't feel so afraid anymore. I feel stronger, like I can face anything. Even death."

Caleb held her tightly, they were both crying, tears of sadness mixed with tears of happiness. "I love you." She whispered softly in his ear.

"And I love you too. I could keep holding you like this forever." He whispered back. 'Forever' she thought. Maybe forever wasn't such a long time for them, but when you loved someone as much as she loved Caleb, a day could be forever, even at a moment like this.

Cornelia smiled as she looked up at him. "I heard and saw you with Hayley. How could you?"

"Well, Josh set us up and I just liked imagining she was you." Caleb smiled back, sitting on a chair. "But she's not that bad. If you close you're eyes and plugged your ears with wax." They burst out laughing and embraced tightly, their faces wet with tears.

"I love you." She murmured once again. "And don't you ever forget that. Caleb knew he wouldn't, part of Cornelia would stay with him for the rest of his life.

End of Chapter 6

A/N: Ok, it's finished not the story but the chapter I still have a few chapters in mind. So anyway, I just want to thank my best friend for helping me write it and for giving me a couple of ideas. THANK YOU Blossom Flower_92! I also would like to apologize for the late update but I had a big writers block. So uh, anyway review and keep on reading. -–xKrissyx--