Author's Notes: Thanks again for your patience… ^_^ I actually hoped for 100 reviews from 3 different sites combined, but I guess I failed to get them. But still, it's okay… The story has 4 chapters left. Hoping I can get those reviews after these two chapters. Yes, I decided to post two chapters today. These are the chapters that will answer your questions. ^_^

Warning: Tissues and handkerchiefs are allowed…

Remember, The Roads Not Taken features three time lines – 2003 (bold); 2004 (italics); 2011 (normal). Pronouns/sentences/paragraphs that are really important to the story will be underlined. This is an AU story.

Chapter 8: Truth and Consequences

Metropolis General Hospital (2004)

He looked down at her; various tubes were placed on her arms. An oxygen tank was positioned on the left side of her bed. The dextrose, which provided her with the much needed nutrients, was on her right side. The shape of her face, thin and bland, evidenced that she was still frail. A nurse monitored her condition and slightly nodded as she walked outside the room.

Clark stood silently, watching her while she was sleeping. He didn't know how to approach her. A pang of guilt downed on him, seeing her in that kind of condition. 'It was not fair' He thought. She was too young and had so many dreams almost within her reach. A sudden turn of fate was all it took to pull everything away from her. Him… He could sense that somehow he had his own share of fault. He blamed himself for not being with her during those times when she was in pain. He was not there when she needed her support. Though part of his brain told him it was wrong to hold the entire burden to him, he couldn't help it. After all, she chose not to tell him, but then he asked himself 'Why didn't I see that she was hurting?' He reproached himself for being so selfish, for thinking about his needs and not hers.

Little by little, she opened her eyes… taking few blinks before she finally recognized the familiar built…

"Clark." She said in a weak, throaty voice.

He sat on the edge of her hospital bed. "Lana, how are you feeling?"

She tried to smile, but her lips were trembling. "Clark you don't need to worry. I'm okay now."

"Lana." His eyes were fixed on hers, begging for the truth. "I care a lot about you, don't you forget it."

"I know you care about me, a lot more than I can think. That's why I opted not to tell you." She put her hand on his. Against the warmth of his hand, hers was ice cold.

"Why?"

"Here we go again, you always ask why." She smirked weakly, striving to make the situation lighter. He saw her fruitless effort.

"I have so many questions in my head, Lana." He paused. "But don't oblige yourself to tell me everything."

"I chose not to tell you sooner because I wanted you to see me the same way you saw me last time we were together. I couldn't afford you to see me on a hospital bed, lying helplessly." Lana looked away, trying to figure out what to say next. Clark gently touched her hand and was surprise to see that, even her palm; it was not the same color as before. He waited patiently for her response. Clark heard, within the silence, her shallow breathing matching the sound from the dextrose's liquid dropping into the tube.

"It was sudden Clark… One night in Paris, I felt my world turning and everything faded into black. The next thing I remember, I was in a white room and lying on a bed. I recall being dizzy and my head pounding. Hours after, a doctor told me she suspected something serious about my condition. They took additional tests and, in fact, those suspicions were right. I was in denial for months, but one day I decided to go back to Smallville and spend some time with you, while I still could. I wanted to tell you, but I decided not to, the last time I bid my farewell to you. Though there was a small percentage that I could be healed, I believed I would come back 100% cancer free – but then again, I was wrong." Trickles of tears escaped from her eyes, coupled with the trembling of her hands.

Lana continued speaking, "I didn't want you to see me like this. I want you to remember me happy, like when I held that bouquet of roses you brought me." She inhaled deeply, taking few seconds to lessen the tension of her fragile body. "Do you remember when we dance to that old jukebox in the barn?" She tried to smile, but he could hear bitterness in her voice. It pained him even more.

"I need you to reminisce all those times when we laughed together and to remember my smiling face, not like this." She wiped away tears that had fallen from her eyes. "I need you to remember me as forever young." She looked straight into his eyes. "I really want to stay with you, but I can't. I can't be with you forever."

Clark covered her hand with his. "I'm going to find a cure."

Lana calmed herself, though her sobs were obvious. "The doctors said the last hope is to find a perfect bone marrow donor. Even then, I would only have the smallest chance of survival. They're not sure if my body can respond positively to a foreign substance."

"We can still hold onto that smallest chance. Come on Lana, you're a fighter. You're almost there. You had created a respected name in your chosen field."

She smiled half-heartedly. "How I wish to leave a legacy."

"You still can, because you're going to live." That was a promise he would make to come true, no matter what. He couldn't afford to lose another person whom he valued as family. He saw her sobbing, just like he was. Clark was on the verge of breaking down knowing his world was about to collide between the two women he cared about, the two women who were part of his life now.

Her trembling body… Her cold hands… It was too much to contain. Like her, he was breaking apart. He wanted to be with Lana – to provide her a shoulder to lean on. But what about Lois? He knew well enough that she was brave enough to face the future. And what about him? Because since the day he saw her, he finally understood that he couldn't face another sunrise without Lois by his side.

TBC

Reviews are welcome!

Excerpts for Chapter 9: Revelations

"SHUT UP! How many times have I already heard those words from different people who ended up hurting me? I just… I just didn't think you would be one of them." She choked on her last words and stopped for a while. She could feel her tears were coming. "Just go. I don't want to hear another batch of lies."

"Lois." He pleaded.

"I'm going to be fine." She stood, chin up.

Reluctant to go, he stayed there for a minute watching her. She didn't move so he turned his back and closed the door behind him.

She whispered the words again while shedding tears for him. "I'm going to be fine."